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Driving Home Alcohol Awareness
Testing out "drunk" goggles while driving a golf cart or trying to walk a straight line, demonstrates the risks of driving under the influence.
Throughout the school year, St. Luke’s 10th grade health classes have stumbled and flailed around the Watson Field wearing Fatal Vision Goggles to simulate drunken impairment. It was all part of Upper School Health and Wellness Coordinator Camille Demarco-Havens’ Alcohol and Drug Awareness unit. The 10th grade students were provided with special eyewear that mimics a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .06 and higher to get a better perspective on driving under the influence. The students were given an opportunity to try a variety of activities including a field sobriety test to show them how alcohol affects reaction time and motor skills. Connecticut considers drivers 21 and older with a BAC of .08 or higher to be legally over the limit. For underage drivers, the limit is .02%
During the sessions, New Canaan police officers had students drive a golf cart and attempt field sobriety tests, such as walking a straight line, with and without the special goggles. Students who executed a straight line with balletic precision pre-goggles saw gravity fail them as soon as they donned the eyewear. So too did the golf cart drivers see skills deteriorate once the goggles (.06%) were in place and they began picking off orange construction cones used to mark the course.
Demarco-Havens said, “This safe and controlled environment enabled students to experience first hand the perils of being under the influence. It also allowed us to have further discussions about this topic.”
Driving a golf cart may have been fun for most, but the larger takeaway was lost on no one. “This opened my eyes to how one drink can affect your ability to navigate,” said one student. “I had no idea I was so close to the cone I hit!” One officer carefully pointed out that every cone hit could have been a person, a utility pole, or another car.
The spring sessions were run by Officer Shane Gibson, St. Luke’s new Police Liaison Officer from the New Canaan Police Department, who will be on campus as needed to discuss safety topics on an ongoing basis. The fall sessions were conducted by New Canaan officers Jeff Deak and Tom Callanan.
View a video of the 10th grade health class “drunk” goggles simulation or additional photos.
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 35 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Center for Leadership builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.
