Drivers Safety at Newfield

By Saitta Roy

“Some of you don't care, it’s the hardest thing to do,” said Allen Ferrari, a retired police officer who has seen firsthand the deaths of teenagers due to fatal car crashes. Ferrari, along with his crew from the Town of Brookhaven, paid visits to Newfield on December 14th and 16th to show us students the dangers of unsafe driving. Ferrari opened our eyes to some bone-chilling facts: Suffolk County has the highest rate of car accidents in the state, and Middle Country road is one of the most dangerous roads to drive on in New York. Alongside these facts, he told stories and presented news articles demonstrating the tragic ways teenagers have died, ranging from decapitations to being burnt alive in their vehicles.

Ferrari’s message stretched beyond just wearing your seatbelt and abiding by traffic laws-- he encouraged us to frequently have more conversations with our parents as you never know when anyone can be taken away from you. His voice echoed in the otherwise silent room, filled up with students with tears dripping down their faces.

A student in attendance described the presentation as “really emotional and very in-depth”

The second day of the program was much lighter and 100% tearless. Ferrari and the crew brought in bumper cars and laid out a track in the New Gym. The purpose of this was to show that distracted and drunk driving leads to more accidents, which in this case was knocking into orange cones.