POTTSTOWN PA – Licensed drivers who are students in the Pottsgrove School District may have no real idea what it feels like to be behind a steering wheel and impaired by alcohol or drugs. The newest member of the Board of School Directors thinks it’s time they found out … safely, rather than tragically.

The PA-DUI Safety Bug is a modified Volkswagen Beetle.

Acting on a suggestion made to him by a district resident, director David Faulkner asked the board Tuesday (Sept. 28, 2010) to consider bringing “The Safety Bug” to a Pottsgrove school parking lot sometime in the near future. The modified Volkswagen Beetle automobile, developed by the Pennsylvania Driving Under The Influence Association, mimics the perils of impaired driving under controlled conditions.

It’s the car, not the driver, that’s drunk, according to the association. A supervisor who accompanies each driver sets the vehicle to behave unpredictably, creating “an unsettling episode for the teen in the driver’s seat who gains a first-hand glimpse of what it feels like to drive under the influence,” its promotional material said.

Faulkner’s fellow board members liked what they heard. In the district that, during the past 12 months, has openly grieved over the automobile accident-related deaths of several students, such an education could have long-lasting impact, they said.

The program, which includes the vehicle and staff time for set-up and supervision, costs $1,000 per day. Board President Michael Neiffer, for one, was undeterred by the cost. “A couple of thousand to educate our students this way? That’s a no-brainer,” he said.

For proper operation, The Safety Bug program requires a flat, paved parking lot of a specific size without obstructions. District Director of Facilities and Physical Plants Michael Katzenmoyer said the parking lot behind Pottsgrove Middle School, North Hanover Street, Potstown PA, probably best fit that description. The program, if held, could be conducted on a weekend to maximize attendance, directors speculated.

The program needs a prime sponsor too, and director April Kontostathis suggested the Pottsgrove High School’s SNAP Academy could fill that role. The student-run, teacher-mentored organization helps teens combat chemical dependency, tobacco use and a variety of other issues, and might be perfectly suited to promote the program, she said.

Despite their enthusiasm, board members made no decisions on scheduling the program. District Superintendent Dr. Bradley Landis said he would first discuss it with SNAP Academy representatives.

Faulkner joined the board in May (2010) to fill the unexpired term of director Robert Lindgren. Lindgren resigned to serve with U.S. armed forces in Afghanistan.

Related (to the Pottsgrove Board of School Directors’ Sept. 28 meeting):

• Pottsgrove Considers ‘Impairing’ Teen Drivers, For Safety’s Sake
• Ringing Reimbursement On Pottsgrove School Agenda

Photo from padui.org

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