Southampton Town Urges Safe Driving Around Holidays

Various town officials gathered at Southampton Town Hall this week to deliver what’s now an annual message about safe driving during the holiday season, with an emphasis on discouraging driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs and distracted driving.

“Have a good time, but be responsible,” said Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman in his comments that kicked off the filming of the annual public service announcement. “Do not get behind the wheel if you’ve been drinking.”

Schneiderman was joined by fellow Town Board members John Bouvier, Rick Martel and Cyndi McNamara, along with Southampton Town Police Chief James Kiernan, who emphasized education and prevention.

“We don’t want to fill our jails with DWIs, we really don’t,” Kiernan said. “But we will fill our jails, we will arrest people who don’t heed this message.”

The issue was personal to both Bouvier and Martel. The former recalled losing three friends to a Christmas Eve drunk driver while he was in high school. Martel reflected on a horrific car accident he got into in 1970 as a designated driver, when he got into a head-on collision with a drunk driver. “It hits personal for me,” said Martel, who suffered serious injuries in the crash. If you’re too drunk to drive, he said with a smile, “call me.”

McNamara highlighted mental health challenges for some around the holidays, which can be a tough and lonely time for people struggling with depression or other issues. “It’s a happy time,” she said, “but a lot of people are struggling.”

As the event wrapped up, Kiernan said the town needed to do a better job at getting the don’t-drink-and-drive message out to non-English speaking residents and he vowed to do so through radio appearances on Spanish-language stations and other outreach.