One by one, teenagers tried to walk a straight and narrow line at the Rincon Police Department on Thursday morning. However, it wasn’t easy.

And that’s precisely what Sgt. Philip Scholl had in mind.

 

Sgt. Scholl employed the Fatal Vision simulator for several teenagers, letting them experience just how it feels to be behind the wheel and have impaired vision and judgement.

 

“It’s really scary,” said Ciara Wolfe, who led the teens in the class. “I could not imagine trying to walk that line with the legal limit of alcohol.

It’s not even worth it. It looks acceptable, but it’s really not.”

 

With the “drunk goggles,” the teens were able to see what it would be like to accomplish even simple skills at varying levels of intoxication — walking a straight line, reaching to pick up an object off the floor, reading a printed text message. They’re all indicative of the kinds of motor skills a driver under the influence might have to master.

 

“I think it will be an eye-opener for them,” Wolfe said. “I learned a lot.” 

 

Scholl said he tried to make it a fun environment for the kids in order to keep their attention.

 

“But at the same time, you are reinforcing a message,” he said. 

 

Scholl called getting kids of that age thinking about how to act responsibly was of the “utmost importance.”

 

“They’re still impressionable,” he said. “They’re at the cusp of being able to drive.”

 

His presentation was spared from being graphic, thanks to an uncooperative Power Point screen. Yet Scholl described to the teens just what happens at an autopsy and of some of the accidents he’s worked. He also told them the impact drunken drivers have had on the lives of his friends. 

“I don’t have any mercy against DUIs,” he said.

 

As the teens slipped on the goggles that represented the lowest level of alcohol-induced impairment, Scholl handed them a print out of a text message, in large, readable type. Their task was to navigate down a straight line while reading the text message. Scholl’s point was this — any text message you get while driving won’t be in such large print and instead of walking, you’ll be behind the wheel of a 3,000-pound car at a much higher rate of speed.

 

“This is real-life stuff,” he said. “And this is at less safe (condition) — not even at DUI.”

Should a teenager, or anyone, who’s been drinking feel compelled to drive, Scholl urged them to call someone else for a ride home instead.

 

“The moment you’ve made a decision to get behind the wheel, you’ve made a bad decision,” he said. “You can’t un-decide it. I can’t emphasize enough how easy it is to call somebody to get you.

 

“If I can prevent one of y’all from driving while drunk,” Scholl said, “I’ve done my job.”