Simulation shows students the dangers of impaired driving
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- The St. Joseph Safety Council's summer driving program held an impaired-driving exercise at Missouri Western State University Thursday morning.
The exercise began with students driving a golf cart through the course under normal conditions. Students then took a second lap around the course wearing Fatal Vision goggles, which simulate impairment with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.17 to 0.20, double Missouri's legal limit.
John Christensen, St. Joseph Safety Council driving instructor, said the exercise gives students a hands-on opportunity to experience how impairment can affect their ability to drive safely.
"They make comments like 'this is hard' or 'oh my gosh, this is terrible'. They sense that they've lost control, and it's a much more difficult task for them to maintain control of the golf cart when they're wearing the goggles," he said.
In addition to vision and the mind, alcohol can also affect judgment.
"They process things at a much slower rate because alcohol is a depressant. We saw some students turn out wide even though they didn't hit the cone," he said. "The turning radius was much wider."
Experiencing the simulation helps students better understand the consequences of driving under the influence.
"There's just a lot more at risk, at stake if they were to do this in a real sense," he said. "They get to experience this in a simulation in a controlled environment, and even if they mess up, they can't hurt anything, but they still learn the lesson."
Ziva Hunt, a driving student, described what it was like navigating the course while wearing the goggles.
"Compared to driving it without the googles, it's pretty easy and everything. It's not bad, but when you have the googles on, it really changes your perspective," she said. "Everything is kind of tilted and almost feels like you're kind of dizzy in a way, so it really changes it."
After completing the exercise, the students said the experience would make them think twice before getting behind the wheel while impaired.
"It was really scary, just in a golf cart. I can't imagine how it would be if it were an actual car with coming cars at you like that would be really scary, especially since it shifts everything, it would look like the car is coming towards you or even you were going to something," Cloe Hobson said.
The St. Joseph Safety Council's summer driving education program will begin its second summer session on June 22. There are still seats available for interested students.
