LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – A Texas Tech safety program is using impairment simulation goggles to show students how alcohol affects coordination and judgment, including behind the wheel.
Texas Tech student Zach Cuevas said he felt confident going into the exercise.
“Well, I was pretty confident at first,” Cuevas said.
That confidence changed once he put on the goggles.
“But then when I put those goggles on, I was like, yeah, all that went out the window,” Cuevas said.
Program focuses on harm reduction
Serena Shade is senior director of the Risk Intervention & Safety Education program, known as RISE. The program focuses on prevention training and student well-being.
“As we know, students in college, they’ve been given some new independence,” Shade said. “They may start drinking when they’re in college or maybe they’ve drunk before, but they have a lot of independence here on campus. So we’re just trying to help them with harm reduction strategies.”
Shade said anyone who drinks should do so responsibly. She recommends going with a friend who will hold you accountable, drinking water after every alcoholic beverage, and eating something before drinking.
No amount of alcohol is safe for driving, director says
Shade said no matter what, even one drink means a person should not get behind the wheel.
“I think sometimes students drink and still think that they’re okay to operate a vehicle or engage in other activities,” Shade said. “And so this shows them that when they wear the drunk goggles, their vision is impaired and it’s easy to step on things or hit things when you’re in a car.”
Shade said students who plan on drinking should plan by lining up a sober driver in their group, getting an Uber, or, for Texas Tech students, using Raider Ride.
The service drives students around campus from 6 p.m. to 2:45 a.m., seven days a week.
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