Friday, March 6, 2026
The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
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The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
Lifestyles

State Patrol officers visit CSC, inform students of safety precautions

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Deputy Sherriff Kristofor Still, of the Scottsbluff County Sheriff’s Department, talks to students about what to do in a scenario with an active shooter Monday in the Student Center.--Photo by Shontell Roseberry
Deputy Sherriff Kristofor Still, of the Scottsbluff County Sheriff’s Department, talks to students about what to do in a scenario with an active shooter Monday in the Student Center.–Photo by Shontell Roseberry

Nebraska State Patrol Officers Kevin Waugh and Clint Bruhn gave a distracted driving presentation to CSC students Monday in the Student Center.

Jacob Rissler, housing and residence life assistant director, organized the event as part of Safety Day. Seven students signed in to the 1 p.m. session, and a second session was given at 3 p.m.

Officer Waugh, the main speaker, has been with the State Patrol for almost 25 years and has seen first-hand the impacts of distracted driving. He explained the numerous different causes including texting, eating, drinking, radio, pets, and many more.

The mindset with abusers of texting, drinking, or any form of distraction while driving is “nothing has happened to me so far, so I’ll keep doing it,” Waugh said.

The most frequent fatal crashes in Nebraska are single-vehicle rollover crashes, which usually are a result of distracted driving, according to Waugh.

He said it’s as simple as just briefly pulling off to take care of a distraction and then you can get back on the road.

“If the text can’t wait until you reach your destination, pull over to send a reply,” Waugh said, “Or have your passenger take care of it for you.”

Drinking and driving is a big issue. A student asked what they should do when an intoxicated friend is trying to drive and will not accept a sober ride or turn over their keys.

“If that’s the case then I would be making a call,” Officer Bruhn said. “Some people have to learn the hard way, but better a DUI than ending up dead.”

Waugh’s next point focused on the need to wear seatbelts every time you get in a car. He explained that the seatbelt is the only thing that holds a person in the upright position during a rollover, which gives them the best chance at surviving the crash.

He said there have been three fatal crashes in the Chadron area already in 2016 and none of the victims had been wearing their seatbelt, causing them to be ejected from the vehicle.

After the speech, students went outside and tried out the State Patrol seatbelt simulator. The officers belted in a volunteer then pulled a lever which sent the student down an approximately 15-foot ramp into a rubber bumper at 7-10 mph to simulate the feel of a low-impact crash.

The students were surprised at what a jolt they got from the low impact, which proved how dangerous a high-speed crash can be, especially without wearing a seatbelt.