Safe Teen Driving: 'Don't Become a Statisic'

It was a frank and at times emotional discussion regarding safe teen driving at on Wednesday.

Board of Education Vice Chairman Ronald A. DeNuzzo led the talk, which was attended by the district's senior and junior class members.

Throughout the discussion DeNuzzo, who serves as an inspector at the State Attorney's Office in Litchfield, stressed the importance for teens to drive safe, sober and within appropriate speeds.

"Please. Listen. Don't become a statistic," he told the students. "Don't do something foolish in your lives."

'A Priviledge'

The inspector shared details, statistics and crash images related to many fatal teen-driving related accidents from the last few years here in Connecticut. Many of the images and details during the assembly produced an audible gasp from the students.

"It is a priviledge to drive a car in the state of Connecticut, not a right, a priviledge," DeNuzzo said.

"And when you grab the steering wheel... along with these car keys... and then you take a six-pack of beer — it's no different than anyone with a loaded gun in their hand," he said, noting the average vehicle weighs about two tons. "You can wipe out a family in an instant."

'Pained Faces'

He also played a powerful and moving public service announcement from the Australian government that highlighted the negative effects of reckless driving and driving under the influence.

The video is posted in the gallery that accompanies this article.

"Pay special attention to the pained faces of the family members," DeNuzzo said as he introduced the video, referring to the images of those who had lost someone in a fatal accident.

'It Will Be Worth It'

In addition to DeNuzzo, Colleen Church — whose 19-year-old son Dustin was killed in an accident that involved a friend of his driving at high speed in the town of Kent while under the influence of drugs and alcohol — also spoke to students.

Both the driver, who ended up serving several years in prison for her role in the accident, and the vehicle's other passenger escaped. Dustin, who was in the back seat, did not. He drowned.

Church, a North Madison resident, frequently teared up as she tried to express the pain and loss she and her husband Skip felt at losing their son, who was unable to escape the vehicle he was a passenger in after it: left the road, hit some trees, rolled down an embankment — and sank into the Housatonic River.

"If I can only save one of you, it will be worth it," she said, of sharing her personal story.

'Think Back on Today'

As the two-hour talk wrapped up, the school board vice chairman urged the students to make responsible decisions when it came to safe driving and getting into a car with a driver under the influence.

"Good kids like you sometimes make bad decisions," he said. "Don't get caught in that trap. Because bad things can happen to good kids like you."

DeNuzzo and Church took questions from the students both during and after the talk.

And members of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, whose Connecticut headquarters is based here in East Haven along Route 80, were also on hand Wednesday to take questions from students.

"I hope today that we got inside of you," DeNuzzo said during his closing remarks. "If you're tempted, think back to today — think back on to today's assembly."