Drinking and driving can have disastrous results any time of year, but "No Empty Chair," a new statewide campaign, is hoping to spread awareness about the dangers of speeding, texting and drunk driving for teens going to prom.
Police departments and school districts around the state are hoping to prevent students from drinking and driving this prom season. And the town of Fishkill Police Department found a pretty unique way to get the message out.
It's hard to miss it while driving down Route 52, a car that slammed into a pole in front of the police station — its windshield shattered, and hood mangled. Beer bottles scattered inside and lunch still left on the seat.
"You see the airbag went off," said police Lt. Craig Wood. "A lot of times in these type of accidents, there's bad injuries, or even death."
What You Need To Know
- One person dies every 52 minutes in the United States from drunk driving, according to the NHTSA
- The Fishkill Police Department staged a car that was involved in a DWI crash in front of the police department to bring attention to the dangers of drunk driving
- "No Empty Chair" is a statewide campaign to warn young people about the dangers of unsafe or drunk driving
Despite the yellow police tape, it's not a crime scene. The car is a result of a real DWI crash that happened in Beacon.
"There's another empty case of beer in the back seat," Wood said.
It’s there to send a sobering message to young drivers getting ready to go to prom: Drinking and driving can have real consequences.
"One of the worst things an officer can deal with is making a death notification, especially when it becomes someone's children," Wood said.
Unfortunately, he's had to give that news one too many times.
"I had an occasion where the father and the mother were killed by an individual up in the city of Poughkeepsie, and we had to go over to make a notification to the grandparents. That’s a terrible thing to have to do," Wood said.
In his nearly 40 years as a cop, he often sees DWIs increase this time of year as temperatures soar and prom season gets underway. He hopes the car sends a message to young people heading to the events.
"Get the message out to the young people. Don’t drink and drive at prom, and don’t drink and drive any time," Wood said.
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 28 Americans die in drunk driving crashes every day. But there’s ways to prevent those deaths.
"If we keep one person from getting killed, then we’ve done our job," Wood said.
