District Joins to Take a Stand Against Irresponsible Driving
For the third consecutive year, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice brought Choices and Consequences, her driver-education program aimed at teaching high school students about the dangers of drunk and reckless driving, to Farmingdale High School.
The Sept. 10 and 15 presentations each featured a 90-minute slideshow and interactive speech by Rice, as well as testimony from actual young people who have been arrested for drunken and reckless driving, spent time in jail, and seen the consequences of their actions.
“Car crashes are the number one cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 and 24 years old,” Rice said. “I believe we can and must do something about that. By educating young drivers about the realities of the road and the consequences of poor decision making, we can reduce the number of fatalities and injuries we see each year.”
Each presentation ends with a skit performed by students and a demonstration by a Nassau County police officer of the criminal process drunk and reckless drivers must go through after arrest. The DA’s program has visited more than 100 schools since its inception in 2006 in an attempt to educate young drivers of the unfortunate fact that automobile collisions are the number one cause of death for people between the ages of 15 and 24.
This is the first year that the administration has made it mandatory for both student-drivers and parents/guardians to attend if the student wanted permission to park on campus.
“The purpose for these meetings was to continue promoting student safety at Farmingdale High School,” said Farmingdale High School Principal Glen Zakian. “We want the students to realize the responsibilities, and potential dangers, that come with being a young, inexperienced and easily distracted driver.”
Farmingdale High School’s SADD program, which usually has about 30 members, “works to promote awareness about the dangers of destructive decisions and contributes to the school by running toy drives, putting on skits at the elementary schools, organizing Grim Reaper Day, and many other programs promoting awareness and community action.”
“The safety of our students, and our community, is of the utmost importance,” continued Zakian. “Programs like these and the law enforcement efforts of District Attorney Rice are what we need to educate our young people, and make our streets safer.”