Ridgefield Press
MOCK CRASH: Traffic problems were not expected

Apr 30, 2008

Police, ambulances, fire trucks, the jaws of life — there was quite a scene on Ridgebury Road last Wednesday during the high school’s “mock car crash.” But quite a few real-life cars were backed up by the road-closing and detour on a heavily traveled commuter route.

“It’s tying up traffic. Some of us can’t get to work,” said a caller to the Press office about 9 that Wednesday morning. “I’m still trying to get to work! I was supposed to be there at 8:30.”

Another commuter wondered why the staged event — which closed the road from 8 to 10:30 — couldn’t have started later. “Do it at 9:30. Don’t do it at rush hour,” she said. “Don’t do it when people are trying to get to work!”

School and town emergency services officials, who cooperated on the event, apologized for the inconvenience and admitted that the traffic back-up was worse than what they’d envisioned during planning sessions.

“It’s unfortunate that there was any significant disruption to traffic flow there,” said High School Principal Jeff Jaslow. “We thought we had measures in a place to maintain that, in terms of advance notice and the like. But we do understand that people were put out and we regret that.”

At a meeting fire department representatives, student representatives, and faculty picked the time.

School officials said the event appeared to succeed at making students think about the risks of driving recklessly or under the influence of alcohol or drugs — important as the school heads towards year-end celebrations.

The junior prom is May 17 at the school, the senior prom is May 30 at the Waterview Inn in Monroe, and graduation is June 20 at WestConn in Danbury.

“It clearly was a dramatic scene that produced a sobering and reflective mood in the students.” Superintendent of School Deborah Low told the school board Monday night.

Maggie Meriwether, an RHS health teacher who advises the Youth To Youth club, which put on the mock crash, said, “There were a couple of kids who had a strong reaction, absolutely,” she said. “I think we had a quieter response than we prepared for. But sometimes these things trigger prior events.”

Kids played roles in the drama of a teen road fatality, which included emergency service personnel using the Jaws of Life, clergy, a coroner and hearse, grieving friends and family.

There timing wasn’t arbitrary.

“The reason we wanted to do it at nine o’clock in the morning, we wanted the students and the teachers to be able to process that assembly,” she said.

Fire Chief Heather Burford said the timing accommodated the school’s plans for follow-up support programing.

“That time of day was chosen  because of the way the program runs inside the school, and the day — it kicks off with this event and then there’s opportunities for students, throughout the day, to have more education and more opportunity to talk to counselors, educators, the fire department, the police department, about the effects of drinking and driving.”

Chief Burford said organizers thought they had a good plan to minimize inconvenience.

“Only Ridgebury Road between 116 and Ledges” was closed, she said. “And it wasn’t closed until all the school traffic had stopped.” About  10 fire police officers directed traffic. Warning appeared on the front page of The Press and neighbors were alerted.

“We did our best,” she added. “As I wrote in the letter to the people immediately affected by this, we understand this is a bit of an inconvenience, but I think we have to look at the greater good: 1,800 students watched an event put on by their own peers, in an attempt to deliver a really important life message.”



© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers