USC students experience effects of drunk or high driving through “beer goggles”

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Students at the University of South Carolina had a chance to experience the first hand effects that alcohol and marijuana have on driving.

18-year-old Aniyah Coats is not yet old enough to legally drink — but is now even more aware of the dangers of driving impaired.

“I have less respect for people that do, because it’s really dangerous not only for you but more or less you’re putting other people more at risk,” says Coats.

The event is sponsored by the SC Highway Patrol, USC Police, and LRADAC — giving students the chance to drive the course both with, and without, the special goggles that mimic being drunk from alcohol or high from marijuana.

“Well I felt confident, but knowing I was basically on the sidewalk, it’s scary, but it was a good experience,” says Coats.

Students are also given the chance to “walk the line” while wearing the goggles — or at least try to.

“Well umm…I thought I’d do better than I did, I feel like that’s most people’s experiences. I ran over some cones. I thought I didn’t knock any over but I think they just reset the cones before I turned around,” says senior Ash Jacobson.

“I did hit a few. I did feel a couple of bumps. When I put the goggles on everything was shifted over to my right and it was really hard to try and compensate for that kind of visual distortion” says sophomore Maliq Ravenell.

“It’s really scary. A lot of people talk about it so casually, they don’t think twice about getting behind the wheel, so it really puts it in perspective about how dangerous it is,” says freshman Sydney Ladson.

“When you think you’re doing something right, under the effects of alcohol, all that goes out the window. One small mistake leads to infinitely fatal options,” says freshman Fletcher Hendrick.

“It’s something that we continue to see statewide and nationwide is fatal collisions caused by individuals driving impaired and what we see time and time again is good people who make a split second poor decision of getting behind the wheel impaired and costing someone their life,” says Corporal Nick Pye with the SC Highway Patrol.

Officers remind students to plan ahead — and always choose a safe and legal option.

“We understand that these are college students, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what’s happening here after school hours. But we just want you to make that good decision of using that rideshare service, calling that friend, and never getting behind the wheel impaired,” says Pye.