Friday was Safe Driving Day at Greenwich High School, with participation from a variety of organizations and organized by Kathy Steiner, a teacher in the school‘s Health and Safety Education department who advises the Outreach Club.
Also part of the event were AAA, MADD, Greenwich Hospital, Liberation Programs with their outreach van, Fresh Green Light, Fundacion MAPFRE with information on their Look Both Ways programming.
At the event which hadn’t been held in several years due to the pandemic, teens learned about the real life consequences of unsafe driving.
Every two minutes, a person is injured in a drunk driving crash and, every day, 11 teenagers die because they were texting while driving. Working alongside members of the GPD, Fire Dept and GEMS, students played the part of the driver, passengers and pedestrian to bring awareness of the consequences of their driving behavior.
Seeing and hearing the aftermath of a crash with fatalities was powerful. Even though it was “fake” the simulation was realistic enough that some students grew emotional.
GEMS narrated the simulated drunk / distacted driving crash and response.
“This morning a group of your friends piled into the car for senior skip day,” the narrator said. “The others in the car did not realize the driver had already been drinking. Your friends were waiting to hear where to meet up when the driver answered the phone, hit two people and a stone wall. A single moment of distraction and impaired judgement lead to tragedy as the car veered off course on Hillside Road.”
In scene two featured live dispatch and first responders arriving. Over the speakers the audience heard calls for EMS, Fire and Police units to respond to the horrific scene of the single car crash with a reported pedestrian struck.
The dispatcher updated the information saying, multiple calls had been received and the information was that two pedestrians were struck, significant injuries and four occupants still in the vehicle.
When first responders arrived the fire department worked diligently to cut through the car’s exterior with precision. Each team member has a role with one using the Hurst tool, aka the Jaws of Life, to remove the vehicle’s doors, another stabilizing the vehicle and another ensuring the safety of the passengers inside.
The fire department’s main responsibility is to secure the scene and use specialized tools to extricate trapped victims. They use the Hurst tools to remove the doors and roof for better access to the passengers. Jaws of Life are hydraulic rescue tools that can exert an enormous amount of pressure to cut, spread and life heavy objects.
After the first door is removed, the removed the second door of the battered green Honda. After the roof is removed, emergency workers can assess and transport the injured passengers. The Fire Dept stays on scene to assist with traffic control and cleanup.
Police are responsible for securing the area, directing traffic and investigating the cause of the crash. They also determine whether the driver is under the influence or if other factors contributed to the crash.
The first priority of GEMS is to assess the victims’ conditions and provide immediate medical attention. In the simulated crash there were three injured passengers, one in critical condition.
Once the victims are extricated from the vehicle, EMS immediately attends to their injuries.They use cervical collars and backboards to prevent further harm during transport.
The front seat passenger is taken to a trauma center. The two other passengers aare taken to the local ER.
The police conduct a DUI exam on the driver performing a series of field sobriety tets, which the driver fails. The officer then uses a breathalyzer to confirm the driver’s intoxication. Breathalyzers are devices used to measure a person’s blood alcohol content (BAC) through their breath. In most states a BAC of 0.08% or higher is considered legally impaired.
The driver was over the legal limit and their actions led to the death of two innocent people and the injury of their friends. The driver is placed under arrest, handcuffed and secured in the back of a patrol car.
The driver is charged with DUI and Vehicular Manslaughter and is read his rights.
The narrator explained that according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 30 people die in drunk driving crashes in the US every day.
Lastly, the narrator said, “Additionally, distracted riving accounts for a significant number of accidents and fatalities each year. Remember that your choices behind the wheel can have life-altering consequences not only for you but for those around you. Please be responsible and drive sober and distraction free.”
