FORT RUCKER, Ala. -- Community members can experience what it is like to drive drunk without the inherent risks involved next week when the Save A Life Tour visits the post March 9-11.
SALT has been in existence for more than five years, but the drunk-driving simulation program is making its first visit to Fort Rucker, according to Traci Dunlap, Army Substance Abuse Program risk reduction coordinator.
"Our program's expanding, and the Army is moving toward a prevention program instead of being reactionary," she said.
SALT organizers present a one-hour lecture for groups ranging from 50 to 80 people, Dunlap said.
Group members then take turns driving in a simulator that shows what a drunk driver sees based on weather conditions, impairment level and other environmental factors, according to information from Kramer Entertainment, which runs the simulator.
All scenarios differ based on the elements, but most end in accidents.
The whole presentation takes about two hours, Dunlap said.
Alcohol abuse leads to many destructive behaviors, but driving under the influence is the main one, said Jesse Hunt, ASAP prevention coordinator.
"Of all alcohol incidents, 70 to 80 percent are DUIs," he said. "Last quarter, we had six or seven DUIs (of Fort Rucker Soldiers)."
And driving under the influence is deadly. Vehicle accidents are the number one cause of death amongst young people nationwide, and about 40 percent of those are alcohol related, Hunt said.
That is why the simulator is important, Dunlap said.
"By showing the effects of drinking while they are sober, it'll help (people) to think twice," she said.
She also said it also helps friends who attend the seminar to understand when it is time to arrange alternative transportation for a person.
"It helps them to recognize that you can't do this," she said.
The seminar is at the Post Theater from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Registration is required and can be done by calling Dunlap at 255-7089 by 5 p.m. March 7.
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