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How to Demonstrate Impairment in an Alcohol Education Program

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Discover tools for hands-on demonstrations to amplify your alcohol awareness program.

Line Detector is a hands-on tool for an alcohol education program. Educators, law enforcement, and other community activist groups that teach alcohol awareness programs understand just how dangerous alcohol abuse, underage drinking, and drunk driving can be. If you teach an alcohol education program, you may be interested in hands-on tools to demonstrate impairment. Amplify your curriculum and engage your participants with these simulated experiences:

  • Danger In Every Step (DIES®) Activity Mats
  • SUM-IT-CUP® Complete with Master Bartender®
  • Smash Match® Plus Fatal Vision® Goggles
  • Turn ‘N Learn Classroom Challenge
  • Roadster Pedal Kart or SIDNE® Impaired Driving Simulator

Learn more about each of these hands-on impairment tools and get tips on how to incorporate them into your alcohol education program below.

Danger In Every Step (DIES®) Activity Mats

DIES® alcohol impairment activity mats are a hands-on educational tool you can use to demonstrate how common obstacles or actions become hazards for a person under the influence of alcohol. We offer three unique experiences:

These activity mats are designed to be used in conjunction with the Fatal Vision® Alcohol Impairment Goggles. You can ask participants to complete a series of simple tasks, first without, and then with, the drunk goggles on. Count how many times the participant stumbles, missteps, or steps on objects with the goggles on. Afterward, you can hold a simple discussion with your audience and ask questions like:

  • How many of you thought you could navigate through the scene and avoid obstacles easily and safely while “impaired”?
  • Did you perform as well as you expected while impaired?
  • What are some of the potential dangers of being under the influence of alcohol while navigating through a scene like the one depicted in the DIES® mat?

Additional suggested activities and questions are available in the user guides that are included with the purchase of an activity mat.

SUM-IT-CUP® Complete with Master Bartender®

This alcohol awareness activity is designed to allow adults (aged 21+) to gain hands-on experience with measuring and determining the number of standard drink units (SDUs) contained in various types of popular alcoholic beverages. SUM-IT-CUP® with Master Bartender® will demonstrate to participants that not all drinks are created equal – and open a dialogue about the responsible use of alcohol.

In this activity, participants will select a play card and pour the described drink, and the SUM-IT-CUP® measures it. Accurate servings will bring rewards, but incorrect pours will require the player to tip the bartender money. The participant who ends the game with the most money will be the winner.

Smash Match® Plus Fatal Vision® Goggles

Smash Match® is another alcohol education program activity that pairs with Fatal Vision® Impairment Goggles to demonstrate impairment. In this game, participants will be asked to match and place traffic-related shapes on the activity mat. Performing this activity without – and then with – the goggles can demonstrate how impairment diminishes the ability to accomplish even the simplest of tasks.

After the activity, you can ask participants a series of questions, such as what they’ve learned and how their perspectives changed based on how they performed in both rounds of the activity.

Turn ‘N Learn Classroom Challenge

If you have younger participants in your alcohol education program, the Turn ‘N Learn Classroom Challenge may be an effective demonstration for you. This engaging game teaches participants about the dangers of underage drinking and drunk driving. The way this game works is simple:

  • Students are separated into teams and take turns spinning the wheel to select a question category
  • Teams work together to answer questions and perform activities to earn points
  • The team with the most points at the end of the game wins

This game teaches students how to make safe decisions regarding alcohol, conveys important facts about impairment, and dispels commonly held myths.

Roadster Pedal Kart or SIDNE® Impaired Driving Simulator

SIDNE impaired driving simulator can be used to demonstrate impairment in an alcohol education program. For a hands-on experience in your alcohol education program, consider demonstrations with an impaired driving simulator. We offer two different simulators, the Roadster Pedal Kart and SIDNE®. The Roadster Pedal Kart requires manual pedaling to operate. When used with the Fatal Vision® Impairment Goggles, it can illustrate the differences between drunk driving (with goggles on) and no impairment (with goggles off). Ages 11 and above can properly operate our pedal kart and learn from the simulated experience.  

SIDNE®, in contrast, is intended for an older audience, with participants needing to be 15 years or older with a learner’s permit or valid driver’s license. SIDNE® is an electric vehicle that operates either in impaired mode or normal driving mode. It does not require the use of goggles to demonstrate alcohol impairment.

Learn more about impaired driving simulation in our guide, Which Drunk Driving Simulator is Right For You?

These hands-on learning tools and demonstrations can amplify your alcohol education program to create a truly engaging and unique learning experience. To learn more about these and other alcohol impairment teaching tools, visit our site today or call 800.272.5023.

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