A growing number of vehicular-related deaths recently led two Springfield-Clark Career Technology Center (CTC) students to team up with Clark County Sheriff Deputies to caution students and community members about the dangers of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol (OVI) and/or under the influence drugs (DUID).
Maria Peoples and Sarah Harris are Medical Assisting students at Springfield/Clark CTC. Peoples hails from Northwestern High School and Harris is from Northeastern High School. According to Peoples, CTC seniors are required to present a “senior project.” Seniors get to choose their topic. A deep concern for the safety of their community inspired Peoples and Harris to delve deeper into the risks of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Harris explains, “We were shocked by how many people are killed each year by drivers under the influence of drugs and alcohol. People need to know how dangerous it is, that’s why we did this for our senior project.”
Harris and Peoples’ presentation came one day before CTC’s Spring Break.
Helping the students get their message across were Clark County Sheriff Deputies Bryan Beller, Chris Doolin, and Shawn Lisle. Deputy Beller is a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE). DRE’s are a select group of law enforcement officers trained to determine if an individual is under the influence of a drug, drugs other than alcohol, or the combined influence of alcohol and other drugs. Beller is one of a small group of DRE’s working in Ohio.
Beller told CTC students that Ohio is one of the most lax states when it comes to OVI and DUID laws, and that driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs affects more people than anything else. To illustrate his point, Deputy Beller showed students a short video showing a re-enactment of a real case involving a drunk driver hitting a small child who was playing outside. Students were shocked, with many saying they had never considered a situation like that ever happening. “That’s just too much,” commented one student, shaking his head.
According to Beller, OVI-related crashes have been increasing in Ohio since 2012, with 395 victims dying in 2015. In Clark County alone, 21 OVI-related crashes resulted in 23 fatalities.
Beller walked students through the ways different drugs affect the body. The deputies even provided “drunk goggles” so students could experience how alcohol affects perception. A lot of students who tried the goggles on were surprised how difficult it was to merely stand. “How can people even think they can drink then drive? It’s impossible to even walk!” exclaimed one student.
Overall, Peoples and Harris were happy with the results of the event. “I really think everyone understands now how drugs and alcohol affect you and how driving under the influence can have such terrible consequences,” says Peoples. “The drunk goggles were really effective in showing why drunk driving is just a bad idea,” commented Harris.
In April, Peoples and Harris will share the results of their senior project before a panel of judges at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio.
