It was not a mock trial but a real trial of a Mountain View man who was charged with driving under the influence, or DUI.

Michael Sanchez, 41, was arrested Oct. 21, 2002, near Highway 101 and Lawrence Expressway. The police officer, Mark Atkins, had followed Sanchez for two miles at 90 mph but could barely keep up with Sanchez's Chevy Suburban. When Sanchez finally pulled over, Atkins found a partially full can of Budweiser and smelled alcohol on Sanchez. A lab test later confirmed that Sanchez's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was 0.25 percent, more than three times the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

Conducting a public trial of people charged with DUI such as Sanchez is one of the latest strategies developed by Traffic Safe Communities Network in Santa Clara County to raise awareness about the legal consequences of drinking and driving.

Statistics show drinking and driving continues to be the leading cause of collisions resulting in injury or death and that two out of five Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related motor vehicle crash at some point in their lives.

After years of declining alcohol-traffic fatalities, California experienced an increase of more than 22 percent between 1998 and 2001. In Santa Clara County, 141 people were killed and 6,019 injured in DUI crashes between 1997 and 2001, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Alcohol is also a major factor in motor vehicle crashes involving people under 21.

Last year in Santa Clara County, 146 crashes involved drivers under age 21, a 12 percent increase since 1998. Also in 2001, 7,119 DUI arrests were made countywide, and 551 of the people arrested were under 21.

To discourage underage drinking, the Traffic Safe Communities Network in Santa Clara County developed California's first DUI Court in the School program. Cupertino High School was the 13th local high school to host a DUI trial this year.

"I hope that through observing a live DUI trial, students will think twice before drinking and driving. Too many lives have been lost in crashes that could have been prevented," said District 4 Supervisor James Beall Jr., co-chair of the Traffic Safe Communities Network.

At Sanchez's trial, the prosecutor, Javier Alcala, called Atkins as his first witness and then criminologist Alice T. King as his second witness. King inferred that Sanchez had probably consumed 15 beers before he was arrested.

Alfonso Lopez, the public defender who represented Sanchez, argued that Sanchez stumbled because of his hip problems and that Sanchez's high blood alcohol level came from food he had eaten earlier that had been cooked in alcohol.

After hearing the arguments of both the prosecutor and the public defender, the jury found Sanchez guilty.

A typical penalty for Sanchez's crimes would be 15 days of imprisonment, fines ranging from $390 to $1,000, suspension of his driver's license, counseling and probation. But Cory mitigated the punishment. Sanchez was sentenced to 18 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and paid a fine of $796. He is also only allowed to drive from home to work.

"Mr. Sanchez's sentence is reduced because he is willing to spend his day letting 400 people judge him critically and set an example for young people," Cory said.

Sanchez said that although he was embarrassed, he was satisfied with the result.

"I would be happy if I could save just one child and probably a few people's lives," Sanchez said.

Most students said they learned a lot from the trial. While some said they don't drink anyway, some said they will not stop drinking.

"It's not hard to buy alcohol," said senior Matt Porter. "You can ask older friends or relatives to buy for you. And we drink at parties or friends' houses. But I don't drive when I am drunk."

Sanchez's trial took only four hours and was far shorter than a normal DUI trial, which takes at least three to four days. The trial was condensed to accommodate the short attention span of high school students, but keeping order in the court was a challenge nonetheless.

Cory had to keep reminding the students not to cheer for the prosecutor when he presented the jury with overwhelming evidence against Sanchez. Students also screamed with excitement when Cory took off his black robe to host the post-verdict discussion.

But the crowd quieted down when Lisa Yakes shared her story.

Yakes, 28, was seriously injured when a drunk driver hit her car in 1997. While her boyfriend only broke his leg, her lungs collapsed; her ribs, legs and arms were broken; the nerves on her right hand were damaged; and her heart stopped twice during the rescue. Although she looks fine now, the 19 scars on her body remind her of the accident on a daily basis.

"I want you to know that what happened to me could easily happen to you," said Yakes, now a volunteer for Mothers Against Drunk Driving. "Just think twice about the choices you make."