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Photos: Simulated fatal DWI accident at Byron-Bergen

By Howard B. Owens

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Byron-Bergen High School held its pre-prom DWI fatal accident simulation this morning to help remind students not to drink and drive. Bergen Fire Department with assistance from Mercy EMS and State Police conducted the drill. 

Participating students were Andrew Sczepanski, Sean Donovan, Celeste Brownwell, Joelle Meister and Nathan McCarthy. EMS Explorer students assisting were Aurora Zinter, Maddie Wittman, Katie Simmons and Jeremy Boeff.

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To purchase prints of photos, click here.

Peter O'Brien

They did this when I was in school in the 90's. Has a study been done to see if this has an actual affect or is our tax money just being wasted?

For the record I skipped the one at my school. I don't take kindly to time/money wasters that aren't entertaining.

May 14, 2015, 12:11pm Permalink
Dayne Burroughs

The margin of error for a study would be high, and costly-sounds like cost is your primary concern here. My question for you is this, if all these "dramas" throughout all the years, from the 90's to now, have only resulted in one life saved by causing a kid to stop and think, then is the cost not worth it? What monetary value and limit of time is a young child's life worth?

May 14, 2015, 1:27pm Permalink
Jim Rosenbeck

Pete, I don't believe there is any research that indicates there is a lasting effect from this sort of public performance that serves to prevent or reduce DWI's. There is not even so much as a before and after survey of the participants. No party involved in this activity needs to be concerned about cost effective expenditures or whether these expenditures serve the suspected goal. (I am not sure a goal has ever been clearly identified or communicated) They are spending your money. Dayne Burroughs (see above) tugs at your heart strings; "What monetary value and limit of time is a young child's life worth?" the question begs the answer; "There is nothing we will not do to save young lives!" But, we must resist falling for the passionate appeal that fails the rational test of efficacy. Truth be told these displays are just feel good, performance art that may or may not have any value in reducing drunken driving. Our role in the performance is to simply find some degree of comfort in having a public program to address the issue. The sooner we understand that progressivism is designed to placate feelings rather than get results, the sooner we can stop asking difficult questions and resume our blissful state of perpetual well being.

May 14, 2015, 5:02pm Permalink

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