When DWI dangers loom –– in gym class

There was a lot of public drunkenness in gym class at Kennedy High School in Bellmore last week –– mock drunkenness, that is.

Kennedy takes in students from Bellmore and Merrick.

Students in all grades donned special glasses that simulate the visual impairment that accompanies inebriation, and then they were asked to perform a series of simple tasks, such as walking a line or stacking cups in a pyramid.

It was all part of the Arrive Alive Tour, which has stopped off at all schools within the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District. The Community Parent Center sponsored the tour at Kennedy with a State Farm Insurance grant.

The Kennedy students stumbled as they struggled to stay in a straight line while walking, or they kept knocking down the cups. Then they graduated to a special simulation car, in which they were able to see what it’s like to drive drunk.

Most crashed. Many killed someone.

Good thing it was just a simulator.