April 25 was an unusual day in the Irvington community. At Irvington High School, the Westchester County Police brought in their drunk driving simulator to remind students of the risks of driving while under the influence of alcohol. This happened to be the same day when a few hundred feet away, a drunk driver drove over guard railing and into a house on Riverview Road.
The drunk driving simulator was targeted towards juniors and seniors and showed the impact of alcohol on driving. The simulator was in a large trailer which the Westchester County Police bring to many schools to raise awareness on drunk driving.
The simulator is essentially a video game which forces you to drive like a drunk driver and shows how dangerous it is when someone makes that decision.
Jennifer Nunziato, Student Assistance Counselor and Advisor of Positive Impact Club at the high school, thinks education about drunk driving is very important because “it’s not only about the students or people or students driving, but also the people getting into car with some under influence.”
The Positive Impact Club has done many other school events to remind students of the consequences of drunk driving such as informational tables, the simulator, and an actual car that was involved in an accident with a drunk driver.
The simulator was an important component to the ongoing awareness efforts because of its hands on experience.
As Nunziato says “some people respond better to actual events instead of learning by traditional ways in classrooms.”
The fact that there was a drunk driving accident in Irvington on the day of the simulator proves how important education on the topic is to prevent drunk driving, even in the small town of Irvington.
Although the accident didn’t involve any students, education is vital to empowering students to make the right decisions and spread their knowledge to others.
