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Court-ordered driving class makes impact on North Fort Myers man
James C. Redding Jr. thought the court-ordered driving classes were just another form of harassment.
The 47-year-old North Fort Myers man changed his mind about that after he and 40 other people spent six hours in straight-back chairs listening to lectures on the dangers of bad driving.
“Before anyone gets a license, they should take this course and the DUI course,” Redding said. “I think it could save lives.”
Redding was just coming out of the High Risk Driver’s Class run by trauma nurse Syndi Bultman.
Showing graphic photo after graphic photo, Bultman, who works for Lee Memorial Health System, told the stories of the people who died of injuries caused by a reckless, drunk or inattentive driver.
Bultman refuses to call them accidents. Accident, she said, implies something that can’t be prevented. She prefers the word crash.
“They made it gory enough that you would pay attention,” said Raymond Kincheloe of Fort Myers.
Kincheloe, 59, was in class because he’d been arrested for driving under the influence in February 2007.
He lost his license for awhile — probably the worst part, he said, because you can’t go anywhere or do anything without begging a ride.
Kincheloe is still on probation. Between attorney fees, bail and fines, he’s spent $6,000.
He has to attend driving classes and do community service.
“It takes over your life,” Kincheloe said.
It’s taken over Bultman’s professional life, for sure.
Although she still works in the trauma unit when she’s needed, her primary responsibility is public education. She warns the audience that the photos are real.
The people are real. Their stories are real.
And then she starts with a litany of tragedy made more poignant by the way she presents the photos — first the happy, healthy faces before the crash and then after.
Bultman harps on seat belt use and she pulls no punches.
She shows a photo of a young man with tubes coming out of his mouth, chest and neck and something leaking from his skull and says his family wanted to see him after his crash.
“We clean you up as much as possible. But when there’s brain matter coming out, we can’t stop that,” Bultman told a stunned audience.
Bultman’s presentation is followed by Dan Moser, who focuses on bike and pedestrian safety.
Jay Anderson of Stay Alive Just Drive lectures the audience on distractions — particularly problems with talking on cell phones and text messaging while driving — but he doesn’t leave out eating, putting on make-up or watching TV, either.
Sgt. Dennis Petracca of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office does his piece on aggressive driving.
The final presentation is from Brett Harding of the medical examiner’s office. Harding describes the complete process, from toe tag to autopsy, in nauseating detail.
People applaud when he finishes.
“I’ve had a change of heart,” Redding said after the class was over. “It took some of the bitterness away I had for Lee County officers who were just doing their jobs. ...
Now I know they really care.