Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

DWEyes raise alcohol awareness for teens

Over 100 students participated in an alcohol awareness demonstration at the Gurdon High School on Tuesday, March 26.

Clark County Sheriff David Turner, Deputy David Buck, Deputy Chris Harper and Officer Thomas Free used DWEyes Drunk and Dangerous Goggles to demonstrate the sometimes fatal consequences of drinking and driving.

They were also asked to participate in a field sobriety test where they were asked to walk a straight line with the goggles in tact.

The goggles show the students how impaired their vision might be when their blood alcohol content hits .02, .04 and .08.

When wearing the goggles, participants experienced the visual affect, as well as the lack of coordination, judgment and driving skills that are the result of alcohol consumption.

Our goal is to allow our students, whether they drink or not, to see how alcohol affects their ability and their friends to drive safely, said Lisa Turner, Gurdon Coordinated School Health Coordinator.

This activity was in compliance with an alcohol awareness campaign Think Before You Drink that was initiated by the Gurdon School District Wellness Committee.

We are trying to raise awareness of the consequences of drinking and driving, Turner said. We chose the week before the prom due to the fact that more teenage deaths occur in the months of March, April and May than all of the other months combined. This is due to spring break, the prom and graduation.