Safe driving presentation hits home with high schoolers

MAY 2008—May 22 may have been the high school prom, but it was also a day when high schoolers  got to see first hand what drinking and driving can do thanks to presentations by Chris DeVitt and his father Peter, MHS SRO Officers, Regional EMS, Mayor Marlinda Duncanson, and Christine Brinckerhoff, of the Middletown Recreation & Parks Department.

"The purpose of these presentations was to help students make proper decisions tonight [prom night] and for the rest of their
lives," said Executive Principal Alan Gonzalez.

Prior to the prom, students piled into the school's theater to listed to DeVitt and others. DeVitt, 22, spoke to students about his friend Bryan Steinard, killed in a high-speed drunk driving crash in 2006. DeVitt, 19 at the time, was the driver of the vehicle involved in the crash.

After underage drinking at a local bar DeVitt and Steinard were on their way home when DeVitt's car hit a telephone pole. Bryan was killed instantly and Chris was left in a coma with critical injuries.

"What happened to me can happen to you," DeVitt said. "Your life can be changed in an instant."

DeVitt went on to explain the effects of his poor choice that night to drink and drive—and they weren't just physical. The emotional pain of losing his friend, hurting both his parents and Bryan's family, and dealing with guilt, and stress are still part of his everyday life.

"I can never repay the life I was responsible for and the life I took," DeVitt said. "You can make a difference by not drinking and driving. You can save a life."

Special thanks to Risa Himaras of Liberty Mutual Insurance for coordinating the event.