CREDIT: STEPHANIE LAI
Advanced Police Studies student Matthew Napiwotzki wears a pair of simulator goggles students will see at the event.

There is never an excuse for getting behind the wheel when you're inebriated. There are always other options: staying the night, taking the bus or a cab home or calling a friend or a family member to pick you up.

Unfortunately, not all young people are getting the message.

“Young people — we're talking between the ages of 16 and 25, roughly — are a major concern for us, because, unfortunately, they are overrepresented when it comes to impaired driving deaths,” said Christine Taleski, director of media for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) London. “They only make up about 13 per cent of the population, but they account for one-third of all alcohol-related crash deaths [across Canada].”

To get the message across, MADD London and the London Police Service are coming to campus on February 2, teaming up with Fanshawe's Campus Security Services for a demonstration that's sure to get people talking: a driving simulation students and staff can complete while wearing Fatal Vision inebriation goggles.

“We can take sober students, and we can simulate for them how different levels of impairment are actually affecting their ability to drive,” Taleski explained. “Sometimes when students have had a couple of drinks, their judgment is impaired, so they think they're safe to get behind the wheel when in fact they're not.”

Spec. Const. Brent Arseneault says he thinks this event will make young people more aware of their choices.

“I don't think students actually appreciate how much alcohol affects their judgment, because a person always believes that they are in control,” he said. “This is a great way to show you how much control you don't have.”

In addition to the driving simulation, which will be projected onto the big screen in Forwell Hall, staff and students will also be able to try other motor skills challenges while wearing the inebriation goggles.

Fanshawe's Campus Security has a zero tolerance approach to impaired driving.

“It's not a victimless crime; it's not about losing your driver's licence,” Arseneault said. “It's about taking somebody else's life unnecessarily.”

Check out the impaired driving simulation on February 2 in Forwell Hall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Learn more about MADD London at maddlondon.com and connect with them on Twitter @MADDldn.