Narragansett students urged to 'arrive alive' at driver safety program - what they learned
The dangers of impaired driving and the importance of making sound choices, especially during prom season, were made vividly real to students at Narragansett Regional High School on Thursday.
The school’s annual “Gansett Arrives Alive Program,” or GAAP, featured a presentation from Alyssa’s Place, and demonstrations from local police and fire departments that included a staged motor vehicle accident and simulated impaired driving and field sobriety tests.
The program was mandatory for all students attending next week’s prom, and was attended by seniors, juniors and sophomores.
Principal Colby Young said the annual program is an opportunity for local first responders and law enforcement officials to share their knowledge with students in an effective simulated environment.
“These (first responders) are members of our community that the kids know and respect, so it’s different voices than your teachers and administration,” he said. “And there’s a mix of really cool stuff along with some serious talks.”
Program provides students with driver safety advice
Ann Lyons, the GAAP Day coordinator, said the program, which began last year, is an expansion of the school’s previous prom season safety events. She said the event is designed to educate older students about what to expect while behind the wheel of a car.
“This program is for our juniors and seniors, and a lot of them are going away to college, so a lot of the stuff that they’re going to learn here today, they will carry with them,” she said. “We just want to make sure they’re aware of some of the situations that maybe they weren’t aware of. It’s a chance for them to get the experience without having the experience.”
Demonstrations on vehicle extrication, field sobriety tests
The demonstrations included a simulation of how first responders extricate victims from vehicles involved in crashes. Firefighter Andrew Francis of the Templeton Fire Department said the exercise is aimed at illustrating a scary scenario for students.
“This is geared toward teenage drivers, so it’s not a ‘shock-and-awe’ tactic, but it’s designed to show what happens if you do get into an accident,” Francis said. “But we also talk about how to prevent these things from happening, and to show students what our role as the fire department is as well.”
Also taking part in the program were the Massachusetts State Police, Templeton Police Department, and the Phillipston fire and police departments.
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Narragansett High students get lesson on drunk driving from police
