GRANTS, N.M. –
The Cibola County DWI Compliance Program has teamed up with the Milan Police Department to tackle the dangers of drunk and high driving. Together, the agencies worked with Mothers Against Drunk Driving to educate Cibola’s youth against the dangers of drunk and high driving. In a series of three presentations at two different schools, the MADD presentation engaged students in a way that was both educational and informative to help them be safe and responsible drivers in the future.
Education is key, Joanna Pena, DWI Program Coordinator, said. By educating the youth before they start driving, the program seeks to stop students from drinking or smoking and then driving before the idea crosses their minds. The DWI program uses its resources to aide police departments across Cibola, and they support the program in return.
Police Chief Carl Ustupski of Milan Police Department is certified as a Drug Recognition Expert, he uses his immense training and expertise to discover and take drunk or high drivers off the road, and has made a point of ensuring his officers have training in identifying drunk or high drivers. He assisted the DWI Compliance department with the MADD presentations.
Together, Pena and Ustupski put on a presentation with information about the dangers of drunk or high driving. They discussed anatomy – explaining to students how the brain is not fully formed until a person is close to their mid-twenties and they discussed how early alcohol and drug use can alter the growth of the brain use color visuals.
To help students better understand the more visible toll of alcohol and drugs, the MADD presentation included a video of a drunk driver and a high driver, both crashed into another car. Students were shocked by the devastation a basic car crash caused
Students were asked questions throughout the presentation, those who answered correctly received a hacky sack.
The presentation provided students and teachers alike with education to protect themselves from the dangers of drunk driving, and will help to see the next generation as they prepare to become the next set of drivers in Cibola County.