POTSDAM -- A mock DWI crash will be staged on Monday, May 20 (with a rain date of May 21) at 8:45 a.m. in the circle in the parking lot of Potsdam High School.

The event is sponsored by Potsdam Central High School, St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department, Potsdam Police Department, Potsdam Fire Department, Potsdam Volunteer Rescue Squad, St. Lawrence County STOP-DWI, West Stockholm Fire Department, West Potsdam Volunteer Fire Department, Donaldson-Seymour Funeral Home, Johnson’s Towing and Recovery and St. Lawrence County’s Emergency Services Director, Matt Denner.

A mock DWI crash dramatizes the severe consequences of drinking and driving and promotes a “safe and sober message” for students, which is particularly poignant during prom and graduation events, said a press release from the organizers.  

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 13,524 alcohol-related fatalities involving a driver with a Blood Alcohol Content of .08 or higher in 2022. This amounts to 32% of the total traffic fatalities for that year, which represents an average of one alcohol-related fatality every 39 minutes.  

In St. Lawrence County for 2022, roughly 42% of all individuals killed due to impaired driving were between the ages of 18 and 25 years old. Nationally, the leading cause of deaths for youths ages 15-25 is motor vehicle crashes.

The objective of the crash is to illustrate the possible consequences when people choose to drink and then to drive, the press release said.  

The simulation highlights the fire, rescue and emergency medical system at work as well as police performing field sobriety testing and arrest procedures, said organizers.