Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Shooting Some Hoops at Mizzou Arena


How difficult is it to throw a basketball through a hoop? Some people can make it with little practice but lots of luck. Others work on it every day, so they've got lots of experience. But even the most skilled professional would have trouble getting "nothing but net" when they're impaired by drugs or alcohol.

The same could be said for getting behind the wheel. No matter who you are or how much driving experience you've had, there's no guarantee that you can safely operate a vehicle if you're impaired.

As part of the Coalition for Roadway Safety, I spent Dec. 5 sharing that message with basketball fans at the University of Missouri. We set up a mini basketball hoop and some eye-catching banners in one corner of Mizzou Arena and offered people the chance to try making baskets wearing fatal vision goggles that simulate the sensation of being impaired.

It's interesting to watch people who wear the goggles. For most of them, I immediately notice that they're walking slower, arms stretched out for balance, easing their way from the table to the basketball hoop. Several of the teenage boys walk confidently but then misjudge the distance and walk right into the base of the game. Rarely does anyone actually get the ball through the hoop.

Everyone who puts on the goggles can feel the impairment. But there are too many people out there who etiher don't realize or don't care that they've had too much to drink and they're about to make a terrible choice by drinking and driving. Last year in Missouri, 262 people were killed, 1,113 seriously injured and 3,398 received minor injuries in crashes involving an impaired driver. That equals a death or injury every 1.7 hours.

While the fatal vision goggles offered a good time at the game last Saturday, the message was a serious one that we'll continue to share. Don't drink and drive. Be safe, and ARRIVE ALIVE.

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