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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.
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