Archive for December, 2009

Using a DUI stimulator, health educators can now give student a realistic taste of what it is like to drive while drunk. The special go-carts that are used to conduct this will test delayed the reaction of the gas pedals and brake and exaggerate the response time of the steering wheel. This test makes the student more aware of how even a small buzz can impair their reflexes, thus causing a slower reaction time to emergency situations.

In Tallahassee, Florida alone, there are over 17,000 people killed each year due to drunk driving or narcotics. In the United States, approximately 1.4 million Americans are arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. In most cases, some drunk drivers get a ticket or end up loosing their license, while others end up with steeper consequences.

“Can a high-tech go-cart called SIDNE, help to make these drivers think twice before taking the wheel while drunk? “


I’m not sure this is the answer but what college students are finding out by testing out this high-tech go-cart, SIDNE, is the feeling of not being in total control while driving under the influence of alcohol. At least for some, it may be a deterrent for drunk driving.

What is SIDNE?

Simulated Impaired Driving Experience (SIDNE) is the newest tool in the fight against drunk driving. SINDNE is a remote device that controls when the person who is driving is sober or impaired. It gives person behind the wheel first hand experience and awareness about what it is like to drive while intoxicated and lose total control. SIDNE is currently being used by health educators and law enforcement to teach high school students about the consequences and dangers of drunk driving. Across the country, local driving schools use SIDNE to help people make smarter decisions that will probably save their life or the life of an innocent bystander.

How much is too much?

You do not have to be totally drunk to be impaired. A buzz is all it takes to impair your reaction time. So, to be safe rather than sorry, it is recommended that you don’t operate a vehicle while your driving is impaired.

Legal Level

A person with a blood alcohol level of .08% is considered to be legally intoxicated. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “A motor vehicle crash is considered to be alcohol-related if at least one driver or non-occupant (such as a pedestrian or pedal cyclist) involved in the crash is determined to have had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .01 gram per deciliter (g/dl) or higher.” Thus, any fatality that occurs in an alcohol-related crash is considered an alcohol-related fatality.


All 50 sates and Puerto Rico has now implemented the two statutory offenses to driving while under the influence of alcohol. The first statutory offense is driving under the influence (DUI), operating a motor vehicle while impaired or intoxicated (OWI) or driving while intoxicated or impaired (DWI). The outcome is determined by a police officer’s observations based on slurred speech, unusual driving behavior or the sobriety test.


The second statutory offense is called “illegal per se”. Illegal per se is driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher.

A few facts about driving under the influence of alcohol

• The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports, in 2002 and 2003, 21 percent of persons aged 16 to 20 reported that they had driven in the past year while under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs.
• And in 2003, approximately 4% percent of persons who reported driving under the influence (DUI) in the past year had been arrested and booked for DUI in the past year.
• In 2004 approximately 17,000 people in the United States died of alcohol-related auto accidents.
• In the United States, around 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Here is a list of drinking games popular with college or university students. Students play these drinking games at home, at the bar or at college parties. Remember to drink responsibly and if you drink, don’t drive and put your life or others in danger.

1. Kings Cup:

Kings Cup is good for big drinking groups. This game is not only fun and entertaining to most, but it will get you drunk, so if that is what your goal is, let the games begin!

How to play: Place cards face down in a circle around a beer, whoever draws the 4th King has to chug the beer. This game has many variations.

2. Beer Pong:

Beer pong is a test to see what skills you have while drunk and how good your aim is after being a bit tipsy.

How to play: To play beer pong (also known as Beirut), approximately 6 to 10 cups are partially filled with beer and placed in a diamond shape at each end of the beer pong table. The first player throws a ping-pong ball across the table with the intent of landing the ball in a cup of beer on the opposite side. If a ping-pong ball lands in the opposing player’s cup, that player has to drink the beer and the cup is eliminated. The player with the most cups left at the end wins.

3. Flip Cup:

If you are energetic and like doing active things, Flip Cup might just be the game for you. This is a very competitive game and is lots of fun!

How to play: Flip cup is a drinking relay race. Two teams with an equal number of players line up on opposite sides of a table facing each other. At The first player on each team chugs their beer out of their cup. When finished, the cup is set at the edge of the table and the player attempts to flip the cup to make it land face down on the table, on its’ mouth. The player cannot use both hands or make any attempts to guide the cup to flip over. Only after the player has landed the cup successfully, can the next person proceed. The team that finishes drinking and flipping all their cups first wins.

4. High or Low – card game:

This game requires a deck of cards. You begin by turning over the card one by one. You guess if the nest card will be higher or lower; if you guess wrong you drink.

5. 3Man-Dice game:

3Man is a pretty simple game. If the dice lands on 3, you drink.

6. Shotgun:

Shotgun is a drinking race game to see who can drink the fastest.

7. Presidents & A**holes – card game:

The idea of this game is to be the first to get rid of all your cards to become a President. The player who finishes last is the A**hole.

8. Quarters:

Quarters is a popular drinking game that tests your ability and accuracy by bouncing a quarter off a table and into another player’s cup. The player bouncing the quarter is called the “shooter”. There are different ways of playing this game.

A Few Facts about Driving While Intoxicated

• In 2004 approximately 17,000 people in the United States died of alcohol-related auto accidents.
• A DWI conviction will get you jail time, your insurance policy revoked and more.
• Your DUI record is kept by law enforcement agencies, the legal system and the department of motor vehicles (DMV) and can affect your life even years after the conviction.

Keep these facts in mind before you play drinking games and then take the wheel. Always have a designated driver!

Tiger Woods is making headlines once again, but this time the #1 golfer is in the hot seat.

According to reports, investigators suspected Tiger Woods was under the influence of alcohol when he crashed his SUV outside his Isleworth home. An attempt to collect medical evidence was denied by the Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office, according to a law enforcement, document due to lack of evidence.

How It All Began?

Tiger Woods very public ordeal began at around 2:25 a.m. on November 27, 2009, the day after Thanksgiving, when he drove his Cadillac Escalade into a hydrant and then into a neighbor’s tree.

Woods was rushed to Health Central hospital in Ocoee with injuries trooper described as “incapacitating.” He was treated and released the same day, according to reports.

An unnamed witness told trooper Woods had been drunk prior to the accident. The witness also stated that Tiger Woods had been prescribed Ambien, a drug used to treat insomnia, and Vicodin, a painkiller. The same report also said that the witness was the one who pulled Woods out of his SUV.

More To Car Crash Than First Reported

Tiger Woods’ wife, Elin Nordegren Woods has also been identified in other reports as the person who pulled the golfer from the vehicle. She told the police that she broke open a window with a golf club when she saw that her husband was bleeding and in pain, she then dragged him out of the SUV to safety. However, Tabloid reports blamed the crash on a quarrel they said Woods, 33 had with his wife Elin, 29, after the National Enquirer reported the golfer had an affair with club hostess Rachel Uchitel, 34, and Jamie Grubbs, 24 a Los Angeles cocktail waitress.

WFTV- Channel 9’s Eyewitness News reported Thursday night that the alleged mistresses could just be the tip of the iceberg for Woods.

What Did Police Find At The Scene

According to reports, a police officer who was at the scene of the accident outside Tiger Woods Florida home, found the golfer unresponsive and lying on the road covered in a blanket and resting his head on a pillow. His SUV engine was still running, the front passenger door was jammed and both rear door windows were broken out. The two golf clubs were next to a golf cart, which also was in the road, the report said.

Neither Woods nor his wife made any comments about the accident. However, last week Woods issued a statement saying he had let his family down and that he regrets it with all of his heart, but he did not elaborate any further.

Tiger Woods Last Update on Drunk Driving Case

Tiger Woods was ticketed for careless driving on Dec. 1. He paid a $164 fine and received four points against his license but FHP decided not to pursue a criminal case against the famous golfer.

The Florida Highway Patrol closed its inquiry into the Nov. 27 crash last week, after fining the golfer $164. Woods was cited for careless driving.

Inquiring minds want to know, was Tiger Woods drunk on the night he crashed into a tree? Or was this a domestic violence cover-up? What do you think?