The #MiddletownRI Prevention Coalition hosts an event at Middletown High recently with the help of the schools and the Middletown and Portsmouth police departments to stress the dangers of impaired driving.
LIFE LESSONS
MIDDLETOWN, RI (MAY 19, 2025) – Carina Andrade has her license and has driven plenty already as a senior at Middletown High.
But she’s never gone for a ride like the one on a recent morning in the back parking lot of her Valley Road school.
Behind the wheel of a specialty go kart designed to simulate impaired driving, Carina said it was difficult to steer the vehicle and it slowed her reaction time dramatically.
The Middletown Prevention Coalition (MPC) is sponsoring this pre-prom prevention activity with the Middletown schools and Middletown and Portsmouth police departments to get students to think twice about their condition when they get behind the wheel.
It’s just one in a wide array of events and happenings put on year round by the MPC to try get students to make good choices and promote healthy lifestyles across all ages in Middletown.
“I think the thing that it shows you as how easily you can lose control,” Carina said. “One minute, everything seems fine and the next you’re rolling over a cone or hitting something. It’s pretty scary when you think about it.”
With prom season right around the corner, MPC Director Lori Verderosa said it’s important to share the dangers of impaired driving.
As part of this work, she said it was key to connect with the teens and young adults in a meaningful way through experiential learning opportunities and not be preachy.
Enter the Simulated Impaired Driving Experience (SIDNE) go kart. It was purchased a few years back by the Portsmouth Prevention Coalition and has been used by Portsmouth Police to share the dangers of impaired driving.
“We ran the program here last year and got a lot of good feedback from the students and our educators,” Verderosa said. “This is one of those hands on, tactile experiences we hope they learn from, how dangerous it can be to get behind the wheel high or drunk.”
Opening the day, students listened to a presentation from law enforcement and health officials about impaired driving. Then, they headed outside for the “hands-on” portion of the morning.
At one station, two Middletown Police officers instructed students about how to do a field sobriety test.
To complicate matters, the officers had the group don Fatal Vision goggles, which simulate alcohol or marijuana impairment. The MPC purchased a number of pairs of the goggles last year to enhance the district’s health curriculum.
Many students had a tough time standing up, a few coming close to falling over. Each tried to walk in a straight line and follow the officers’ guidelines, all with disastrous results.
A stone’s throw away, a pair of students hoped into the go kart and were asked to drive through a course of orange cones and other obstacles.
The twist was Portsmouth Police officers could activate the “impaired mode” on the go cart at any time using a remote control connected wirelessly to the vehicle.
Even though every student and their passenger knew a wrench — or wrenches — could be thrown into their trip around the cone course, it didn’t matter.
Several plowed into cardboard cutouts of a man walking a baby in a stroller, a tot riding a bike and the orange cones. On one occasion, the go kart ended up backwards, eliciting laughter and more than a few cat calls.
But when speaking with students afterwards, each seemed to understand the wider implications of the exercise, especially when getting out on the road.
“When you’re behind the wheel, (the SIDNE go kart) really impairs you,” said Raj Intwala, who is Vice President of the Class of 2025. “Hopefully everyone here understands not to drive drunk and that there are options so you get home safely.”
“This is a great partnership between the Prevention Coalition, the schools and the police departments,” Senior Class President Landon Resendes said. “This is one of those activities that some of the students talk about and will definitely learn from.”
“It was hard to control (the go kart) when it was in impaired mode,” senior Joseph Davison said. “Your reaction time was definitely delayed and I can’t imagine trying to drive a real car like that.”
“It was eye opening,” senior Mylie Silveira said. “I couldn’t control (the go kart) and it went all over the place.”
“Whenever you get behind the wheel, you want to be in complete control and this shows you that when you’re impaired, you’re not,” junior Garrett West said.
Listening as students spoke about their experiences, Verderosa and law enforcement officers said that was exactly the point of the demonstration.
“We do this a couple times a year and it never gets any less powerful,” Portsmouth Police Patrol Officer Amanda Weaver said. “It makes the students think about their actions and what could happen and how there are so many better alternatives like ride shares, having a designated driver, taxis.”
“When you watch their experiences while driving the go kart and during testing, you can see it’s registering with some of them,” Middletown Police Capt. Michael Faria said. “Sure, it might seem like fun with cones and signs, but hopefully after they leave here, it’s a reality check that this is very real and can have serious consequences.”
Unfortunately, Verderosa said despite the work by groups like hers across the country, not everyone was getting the message. For more about the MPC, go to https://mdl.town/MPC online.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 30 percent of drivers 15 to 20 years old who were killed in automobile crashes had Blood Alcohol Content levels of .01 g/dL or higher.
The NHTSA said across the United States, approximately 34 people die daily in drunk-driving crashes, or one person every 42 minutes. In 2023, 12,429 people died in alcohol-impaired driving traffic deaths.
“It’s an important message that our students need to hear, really everyone needs to hear,” Verderosa said. “Everyone thinks that it can’t happen to them, but the numbers don’t lie and each one of these accidents is preventable.”
Document Link: https://mdl.town/NYCU-Lesson
About Middletown
The Town of Middletown is a vibrant municipality located on Aquidneck Island, known for its scenic beauty, historic landmarks, diverse economy and strong sense of community. For more information about all we have to offer, visit MiddletownRI.gov online.
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