DWI Demo Graphically Illustrates Dangers To Clarkstown Seniors

NEW CITY, NY — High school seniors from Clarkstown North and South attended a DWI accident scene demonstration Monday to raise awareness about the perils of drinking and driving and distracted driving.

A special guest was Anastasia Karassik, president and founder of the Larisa Karassik Foundation. A New City resident, Larisa died in an upstate car crash on Memorial Day weekend in 2015. She was 13.

The foundation started in her daughter's memory has a mission to create awareness about drunken driving. The stretch between Memorial Day and Labor Day is known as the 100 deadliest days, Karassik said.

Teen novice drivers are more likely to be involved in fatal crashes because they lack driving experience and tend to take greater risks, according to Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, based in D.C. "Compared to more experienced drivers, teens are not as skilled at recognizing hazards and reacting appropriately, resulting in more loss of control. Teens tend to speed, follow too closely, underestimate speed and stopping distances, and are less likely to buckle up," said Advocates President Cathy Chase in a recent news release. "According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, based on the stage of their brain development, adolescents are more likely to act on impulse, get into accidents of all kinds, and engage in dangerous or risky behavior."

The event in Clarkstown included complete demonstration of a drunk-driver, two-car accident with three passengers including the extrication, arrest, arraignment, and a victim being placed in a body bag.

Participating in the DWI demonstration with and for seniors from Clarkstown North and South High School were the Clarkstown Police Department, New City Fire Engine Co. No. 1, New City Ambulance Corps, Rockland County District Attorney's Office, Clarkstown Central School District and Town of Clarkstown. It was coordinated by Clarkstown Supervisor George Hoehmann, Police Chief Jeff Wanamaker, and District Attorney Tom Walsh.

On Tuesday, at an event at the Larisa Karassik Butterfly Garden at Historic Traphagen in West Nyack, a new plaque was dedicated and attendees took a pledge to never drink and drive.