Dangers of drunken driving are brought home forcefully

Before Navy Petty Officer Travis Miller put the vehicle into motion, Brian Delayga gave him the hard, cold facts.

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Charmain Z. Brackett/Correspondent

Brian Delayga, of Edu-tainment, explains how the drunken-driving simulator works to Petty Officer Travis Miller. The simulator shows participants how even a small amount of alcohol affects a driver's performance.

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Charmain Z. Brackett/Correspondent

This coffin was part of a display on the dangers of drunken driving set up during the Save a Life Tour. The event was held at Fort Gordon's Gym 3.

"With one beer, your peripheral vision shrinks by 10 percent," said Mr. Delayga. "One beer starts to shut your brain down."

Mr. Delayga works for a company called Edu-tainment, which is working to make an impact on drivers who might otherwise drive under the influence of alcohol. On Friday, the company and its Save a Life Tour visited Gym 3 at Fort Gordon, where soldiers, sailors and civilians got a chance to see what it was like to drive while intoxicated.

"Since 1970, 2 million people have been murdered because of people driving under the influence," Mr. Delayga said.

More than 750 people visited the simulator Friday.

Participants sit in the driver's seat of a vehicle with three computer screens representing various views of a roadway. As the trip progresses, the driver becomes more impaired as a counter reflects just how many alcoholic beverages the person has imbibed.

Fort Gordon public affairs officer Marla Jones said she experienced a sense of nervousness, and her heart began to beat faster because she was unable to control the vehicle as time passed.

Petty Officer Miller said he became a little dizzy sitting in the driver's seat.

In addition to the simulator, there were other graphic reminders of what can happen when someone drives while intoxicated. An open casket bore a sign saying it was reserved for the next drunken driving victim. There also was a video on drunken driving.

Officials from the Fort Gordon alcohol and substance abuse program also were on hand.

Mr. Delayga said he'd been with Edu-tainment for eight years, and while he hopes the message will be taken seriously, he knows some people will shrug it off and ignore the dangers, even those who say they have learned a lesson.

"People will tell you anything. This isn't a problem to them," he said.

Friday's visit was the second the Save A Life Tour had made to Fort Gordon, said Navy Chief Petty Officer Carlos Rios. It visited in July, and Chief Petty Officer Rios said he hopes it will be back within a year. Next time, he said, he would like to see area high school students visit.