Campus News - Spartan Daily

October 06, 2004

UPD Presents Annual Safety Fair
By Ken Lotich
Daily Managing Editor
October 06, 2004

Many students walking through Paseo de Cesar Chavez on Tuesday stopped dead in their tracks at the site of smoke spurting from a totaled 1988 Honda Civic.

On closer inspection, the smoke was actually just fog, but the vehicle itself was very real -- it was involved in a 2002 accident in the Bay Area, in which the young man behind the wheel was killed.

The car that turned heads was presented by Mothers Against Drunk Driving as a part of the sixth annual Safety Fair, put on by the University Police Department.

The fair reconvenes today from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

A video played on two television screens as a supplement to the wrecked car. The video featured interviews of people impacted by drunk driving, including a man who drove drunk behind the wheel and survived, a woman whose son was killed in a drunk driving accident and an interview with a coroner, who spoke about the large number of bodies he sees due to drunk driving accidents.

Newspaper articles and police reports from the accident were also posted on the outside of the display. The man who died was an 18-yearold from Foothill High School in Pleasanton -- his graduation tassel still hung from the rearview mirror.

Barbara Jacobson, a victim advocate for MADD, said she hoped the car would draw the attention it did, because it shows the gritty aftermath of what can happen when one drives drunk.

" I don't call that an accident, I call it a crash," Jacobson said. "It's a crash because someone had choices they decided to make."

Jacobson said when people choose to go behind the wheel drunk, they put more than just themselves at jeopardy.

" There are so many secondary victims in these accidents," Jacobson said.

Matt Acojecdo, a sophomore nursing major, said the display had a profound impact on him.
" It really makes you think twice about drinking and driving," he said. "Too many people think it's OK to drink and drive."

David Luu, an electrical engineering freshman, agreed.

" This is an example of a really horrible accident," Luu said. "I think this will really discourage people from drinking and driving."

Inside the display, a poster depicted mug shots of a variety of people, stemming from men to women, young and old, with a headline that read, "Every day an average of 48 people are killed in drunk driving accidents in the United States ..."

Forty-five photos were shown on the poster, with three black boxes without photos.

Below these empty squares read the following words: " ... and the day is not over yet."

Maria Sergeyeva, a senior biology major, said the Safety Fair was an informative event for students and staff alike at San Jose State University.

Like other students, the car in ruins had the greatest impact on her.

" Thank God no one I know has been involved in something like this," she said. "Stuff like this doesn't touch people until something happens to them."

Sergeyeva said the Safety Fair had useful information, and that she hoped others would utilize this knowledge for the better.

" People that drink and drive usually overestimate their ability," she said. "It's really sad -- but it's also really stupid."

Next to the car was the MADD table, where Jacobson asked people to do what appeared to be a simple task, which was taking a ruler away from her hand.

Sophia Santos, administrative assistant to the director at the Disability Resource Center, took the ruler away from Jacobson's hand with ease on her first try.

Jacobson then asked Santos to put on a pair of "Fatal Vision" goggles, which gave the effect of a blood alcohol content of .10 or higher.

Santos missed grabbing the ruler by a good number of inches on her second try.

" I really thought I'd be able to grab that ruler," Santos said.

Santos said she went to the Safety Fair last year, and once again, she said the fair did a good job of promoting awareness.

Campus police Detective Phil Kearney, the coordinator of the Safety Fair, said he organizes the fair every year in hopes of helping students ensure their safety.

" We're really trying to bring awareness to people," Kearney said. "We hope we can show people what can happen and the dangers of doing unsafe things like driving drunk."

Kearney said the fair is usually held in September, but the extra time to plan was needed this year, postponing it until October.

The extra time worked out for the better, Kearney said, as students seemed to show more interest this year.

Due to state budget cuts, divisions such as the San Jose Police Department Crime Prevention Unit were not able to come out because of a lack of manpower, Kearney said.

" A lot of agencies were telling me they would have loved to come out," Kearney said. "They just weren't able to because they don't have the staff."

Despite having fewer organizations than in the past, Kearney said many organizations and departments on campus helped make the event successful on its first day, including counseling services, the Health Center, the radiology department and Spartan Shops.

Sgt. Robert Noriega, public information officer for campus police, said he was satisfied with the way the Safety Fair went.

" We really try to show students what services are available to them," Noreiga said. "We try to give them insights on what some of these agencies do."

Noriega said many came to the different booths and signed up for rape defense classes and others inquired about future careers in law enforcement.

Noriega said he recognized the large number of students that went to see the smashed car, and credited its realism to why many were intrigued by it.

" With a visual display like that, it really strikes home," Noriega said. "It gives you something to look at as a real example of what could happen if you drink and drive."

Noriega said he has seen the end results of many cases of drunk driving, and he strongly discourages anyone from drinking and driving.

" It's sad that people would make that decision," Noriega said. "And that decision would cost them their lives."