Simulator Offers Close Look at How Drinking Affects Driving

Students had the chance to test their drunk driving skills last Wednesday when the Save a Life Tour came to campus, offering a sobering look at the influence drinking has on one’s ability to drive.

The “Save a Life Tour,” an idea brought to life by Recording Artists and Actors Against Drunk Driving, has traveled all over the east coast. “I saw it as a good opportunity to travel and show consequences of drunk driving,” said the machines technician who has been setting the machine up at about four different schools a week.

The program was brought to Hudson Valley by the Student Senate in order to educate students. Senate President Alyssa Cavosie claimed, “Giving people the information necessary to help make better decisions is definitely one reason to bring groups such as Save a Life Tour. I feel knowledge shapes our decisions.”

Campuses and high schools all over America are taking steps to eliminate the problem of drunk driving with programs such as Drug Abuse Resistance Education and Students Against Destructive Decisions. Throughout the day there were about 50 people that tried the simulation.

The simulator allows people to experience first hand what happens when driving while intoxicated. The driver is able to feel the delayed response of the breaks, steering and just how fast the control of a vehicle can be lost. The purpose of the tour is to show the devastation caused by drunk driving accidents and the impact it has on families and the other people involved.

“It was interesting. It shows how delayed the reactions can be,” said Jake O’Connoley, a student who used the machine.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes kill someone every 31 minutes and non-fatally injure someone every two minutes (NHTSA 2006). One student Liza Nathan-Serio commented, “It’s just plain stupid. Make sure you have a designated driver.”