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Date: 5/23/2023
SOUTHWICK — Kara Dougherty has been driving for two years, so maneuvering an electric go-kart around an obstacle course of orange cones seemed like it would be easy. It wasn’t.
Special “Fatal Vision” goggles, which mimicked the effects of being impaired from alcohol or drugs, made it more challenging than she anticipated.
“I didn’t have as much control as I expected. My vision made me think the cones were further away than they actually were, so I hit some of them.”
Dougherty was one of about 250 students in grades 10-12 at Southwick Regional School who participated in several activities at a Stop the Swerve event in the school gymnasium on May 18. The goal: educate teens who are driving — or will soon be driving — about the effects of driving while intoxicated.
“It was fun to try driving the go-kart with googles— but after that experience, I wouldn’t trust myself to drive a car after drinking anything alcoholic,” said the 17-year-old senior.
Stop the Swerve at SRS was modeled after a similar event of the same name that the Hampden County district attorney’s office hosted for local schools at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield several years ago. The three-hour morning activity on May 18 was organized by the school’s Students Against Destructive Decisions club, which collaborated with the district attorney’s office and the Southwick Police and Fire departments.
“We thought it was such a good program that we decided to recreate it on the local level for our students,” said Melissa Trzasko, a business and computer teacher who is the club adviser. “We wanted to have activities to make students aware of how their actions affect themselves as well as those around them to encourage kids to make positive decisions.”
While wearing the special goggles, they learned the effects of alcohol and drugs like marijuana on the body while trying to complete different tasks. In addition to driving the obstacle course, students used a computer that simulated real-world driving, shot basketball hoops, performed a sobriety test with Southwick police officers, talked with firefighters and police officers who respond to accidents and handled special tools like the Jaws of Life used to extricate accident victims.
“This was a good way to show the dangers of drinking and driving. The activities were fun, but they had a serious message,” said senior Georgiana Andrade, who “walked the line” wearing the googles as part of a simulated field sobriety test. “It felt weird wearing the googles — they really changed my perspective. I couldn’t walk a straight line.”
This was the second Stop the Swerve event at the school since 2018. One had been planned for 2021, but it was postponed until this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, and timed for prom and graduation season.
“Students get excited at big events like the prom and can make bad decisions about driving,” said junior Mia Dulchinos, a SADD member. “These activities are a proactive way to help students make the right decisions.”
Another member of the club, Margaret “Maggie” Cronin, said the activities gave students a better understanding about the dangers of driving while intoxicated.
“We want our classmates and other students to realize that drunk driving isn’t something to joke about,” Cronin said. “They had a lot of fun with the activities, but their perspective really changed when they wore the googles.”
Cronin said using fun activities instead of lecturing kids or using scare tactics makes it more memorable for them: “Hopefully, they will get the message before they do any irreversible damage.” She said club members also tied red ribbons to the door handles of students’ cars as a reminder to think twice about drinking and driving. The ribbons symbolize people who have been injured or killed in drunk driving crashes.
The club also coordinated with the Police Department and Interstate Towing to place a wrecked Toyota sedan on the hill in front of the school. It served as a visual message to students during the week leading up to the Stop the Swerve event and the prom — which was the next night — to be safe while driving.
The wrecked car was what inspired Brielle Ensign to join the club when she was a sophomore. Now a senior, she’s the club president.
“Our message with the car and Stop the Swerve is be smart — don’t drink and drive, or get into a car with someone who has been drinking too much. We want to help prevent students from making destructive decisions.”
Ensign also said that it was important to have local first responders at the event.
“They brought some reality to the event during candid conversations with students about what they’ve witnessed at accident scenes. They’re the ones who pull people out of cars and see the reactions of families after an accident.”
In addition to Ensign, Cronin and Dulchinos, other SADD members involved in the event included Lena Michael, Natalie Chounard, Alaina Parker, Kayla Kowal, Jess Longhi, Josh Raymond, Avery Burkholder, Isa Doe, Adelina Carr, Emma Smith, Sydney Demyon, Gabby Smigiel, Claudia Lafleur and Evelyn Lafleur.
Representatives from Rick’s Place, a Wilbraham-based organization that provides counseling to grieving children and their families, were also on hand during the Stop the Swerve event to talk about their services that support students who may have experienced loss. They also gave a brief presentation during an afternoon assembly when all three grades attended an assembly in the auditorium.
During the assembly, representatives from the district attorney showed a short film that recounted two fatal accidents — one on Interstate 91 in Springfield and the other in Westfield — that their office investigated. In the film, individuals who were charged in the accidents told their stories, including the consequences of their actions, as part of their community service requirements.