WATERBORO — When Massabesic High School student Ashley Hunter smashed into her victim, her impairment was clear. Swerving from side to side, Hunter was demonstrably struggling with her coordination and depth perception, unable to make the necessary adjustments behind the wheel to avoid bearing down on her unintended prey.
Fortunately for Hunter, the victim ”“ an orange road cone ”“ survived relatively unscathed. Her vehicle, a golf cart traveling at about five miles per hour, was still driveable, and her impairment was remedied by simply removing the simulator goggles she had been wearing. Known colloquially as “drunk goggles,” they mimic the affects that alcohol can have on reaction time, depth perception and coordination.
Navigating her way through an obstacle course comprised of the cones, it didn’t take long for Hunter to have her accident. When looking at a pair of cones, she said, “It looks like there’s four. It’s hard to know which are real or not.
“It was very scary,” she said. “I couldn’t really see where I was going.”
The demonstration at Massabesic High School on Thursday was coordinated by school administration officials and School Resource Deputy Jason Solomon of the York County Sheriff’s Office. Students lined up eagerly to attempt driving one of two carts ”“ one offering the drunk goggles, and the other a lesson in the dangers of texting while driving, with cell phone-wielding students faring no better than their faux-drunk counterparts.
“This is the safest way to simulate this,” said Solomon. “I want them to see the ramifications from drunk driving and texting while driving.
“I think this generation is desensitized by the Internet,” he said. “I’m hoping every kid gets something out of it.”
The golf cart experience was one of many offered by the school’s “Enrichment Day,” which takes place at an RSU 57 school every trimester. A break from the normal curriculum, other enrichment activities included talks on cyber-bullying and harassment, lessons on personal finance, and insight into athletic management and exercise therapy. Students rotated through different activities during the course of the day.
At about 9:45 a.m., a crowd gathered outside near the golf carts to witness one of their instructors, Norman Legere, extracted from a vehicle by volunteer members of the Waterboro Fire Department. To demonstrate what emergency crews must do to rescue drivers from vehicles damaged in accidents, firefighters used Haligan tools to smash the windshield and side windows, and removed the roof of the car with Legere still inside, swaddled in a protective blanket that shielded him from raining shards of glass.
Legere emerged from the vehicle to a bevy of cheers. Then it was on to the golf carts for further insights into the dangers of distracted driving.
Some students were surprised at what they discovered.
“I actually did better drunk driving than texting (while) driving,” said student Michelle Cafferky. “I think it’s pretty eye-opening. It makes you not want to do it.”
That was music to Solomon’s ears, who hoped that every student would take the day’s lessons to heart.
“It’s scary to them, and it’s a reality,” said Solomon. “We need to continually raise the bar to let them know what’s going on.”
— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 319, or at jlagasse@journaltribune.com.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
