FORT BRAGG, N.C. - What costs Americans $120 billion dollars every year, injures someone every three minutes and kills someone every 30 minutes but can be prevented?
About 900 Soldiers from 16th Military Police Brigade, 525th Battlefield Surveillance Bde., 82nd Sustainment Bde., 20th Engineer Bde., and the 2nd Bde. Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, learned the answer to that question during the Save A Life Tour at Fort Bragg from March 26 to 30.
The tour, funded by the Army Center for Substance Abuse Programs, uses drinking and driving simulators to give participants a "completely realistic sober perspective on the effects of driving while intoxicated," according to the Save A Life Tour website.
On March 30, CeJay Rich, one of the tour's presenters, told 375 Soldiers from the 2nd BCT the story of how he lost both parents and his sister to drunk drivers.
"It's very important that people know what's going on in the military," said Rich. "They go overseas and come back home. They lose that high concentration and that focus (that they had overseas.) They relax and become complacent. It's very important to remind them that when they're home too, they need to have all that concentration and focus."
Co-presenter Brandon Pelak, also stressed the dangers of texting and driving after nearly being killed by a texting and driving incident.
After watching graphic videos of the results of drunk or distracted driving, Soldiers tried out the driving simulator.
"It started out pretty easy, the driving. But after a while, the wheel does not do what you want it to do and the brakes took a while to hit even though I slammed on the brakes. You feel out of control," said Pvt. Shaina Schmigel, Co. B, 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 2nd BCT. "I would never drive drunk, especially after that simulator," she added.
Staff Sgt. Jerrod Grant, Btry. A, 2nd Bn., 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd BCT, also got behind the 'wheel.'
"Coffee doesn't help when you're drinking and driving because I had a cup of coffee this morning and I still failed (the simulator.) The simulator is rough, very difficult. You get huge tunnel vision. It definitely increases not paying attention to your left and right," he said.
Grant was also impacted by what he saw in the videos.
"The movies were very, very descriptive. I was shown both ends of the spectrum with the impact they had on the Families, the driver and the results of what happened with the victims," he said.
Staff Sgt. David Precidao, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd BCT coordinator, thinks the experience really hit home for a lot of Soldiers.
"You can definitely tell from their facial expressions. They were first kind of moseying in, but hearing the stories and watching the videos, it's like 'wow.' I think they all know (about drinking and driving) but when you put it out there in their face, it's a different story."
As for the success of the Save A Life Tour program, Rich said it's working judging from the 17,000 friends he has on Facebook.
"They are always sending me messages there that they remembered to get a cab ride home or they didn't drink and drive. 'Thank you, CeJay for showing us the pictures,'" he said.
"People think they're invincible, especially (Soldiers) who go overseas. They make a bad decision. It doesn't make you a bad person," he said.
For more information about the Save A Life tour, visit www.savealifetour.com.
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