In advance of their proms, seniors
at Bunnell High School and Stratford High School were
recently briefed on new state laws regarding teen driving
and the impact of drinking and driving. 
Senator Dan Debicella (R-21) kicked off each event
by explaining Connecticut’s new teen driving laws
and his own experience driving as a teenager.
“When I was 16, I was in a major accident—a
pickup truck hit my car, and totaled it,” Senator
Debicella told the students. “Fortunately no one
was hurt, but the accident could have been avoided.”
Senator Debicella said two of the three most prevalent
causes of teen accidents were present. “While
none of us were drinking, there was a lot of goofing
around and it was late at night—and distraction
and late-night driving are two of the leading causes
of accidents.”
Senator Debicella said the new laws passed by the legislature
were targeted at these high risk behaviors. The new
laws focus on both education and enforcement. The new
law doubles the amount of driving time required to receive
a license to 40 hours, and requires a two-hour training
course for parents. Curfew for teenagers is also moved
from midnight to 11PM, with exceptions for work. The
law also restricts passengers in the car for the first
year of driving to immediate family members. Penalties
for serious violations, such as driving more than 20
mph over the speed limit or reckless driving, are increased
to automatic suspension of license for the first offense
and increased penalties for multiple offenders.
At Bunnell High School following Senator Debicella’s
remarks, Bunnell students and alumni spoke about the
loss of their loved ones in drunk driving accidents.
One Bunnell student spoke about her sister being killed
by a drunk driver at age nine, while an alumnus spoke
about her brother’s death in a drunk driving accident.
“Having students tell their stories is more powerful
than anything I or any other adult could tell them,”
Senator Debicella said. “The students who spoke
were so brave to tell their stories, and hopefully it
makes the horrible reality of drunk driving real for
students.”
The Bunnell High School event also included a presentation
by Dr. Ralph Miro, a career paramedic and EMS/Disaster
Preparedness Coordinator from Waterbury Hospital of
“DUI: The Hard Truth”. The presentation
told the stories of other young people killed or horribly
maimed in drunk driving accidents, and the senior class
sat in absolute silence while Dr. Miro showed pictures
of the aftermath of drunk driving accidents.
“Drunk driving destroys families,” Dr.
Miro said. “The hard truth of it is that these
are not just accidents, but crimes that impact lives
forever.”
The conclusion of both Safe Driving Programs (held
at Stratford High on May 27th and at Bunnell High on
June 3rd), were mock accident demonstrations by the
Stratford Fire Department. The Jaws of Life and other
fire apparatus were used to pull students from cars.
“If our community can continue to come together
to make teen drivers safe—whether through stopping
drunk driving, improving driver education, or strictly
enforcing violations—then Stratford will be a
safer place for all of us,” said Senator Debicella.
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