Unfazed by the cold, dozens of teens took to the streets of Middletown Wednesday night to spread the word about preventing drunk driving. They paraded down Main and converged at the Middletown Fire Department, wearing self-made white T-shirts printed with safe-driving messages.

White-Out Night drew participants from The Middletown Substance Abuse Prevention Council and students from Middletown High's Dragons In Action, and
Rushford's school-based youth leadership programs at Woodrow Wilson Middle School (Rams In Action) and Keigwin Middle School's Cougars in Action. It's an annual event sponsored by the Middlesex County Substance Abuse Action Council. 

A 2009 report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that every year, 10,759 people will die in drunk-driving crashes, or one every 48 minutes. The MSAPC White-Out Night encourages people to be mindful of the dangers of drinking and driving while celebrating on New Year’s Eve.  

Part of the design of the event is also to support the City’s Developmental Assets Initiative, which focuses on community youth development. Youth as resources and commitment to others are two specific assets from the list of 40 that the initiative looks to build. 

For information, see www.assetpromise.org.