6
WEdNEschy, M ay 29, 2002
The CL ac I camas P rìnt
DRINKING
FACTS
★ Drinking may be a factor
in 80 percent of boating
fatalities, says the
National Transportation
Safety Board. According to
the National Safety
Council, boating accidents
are this country's second-
largest cause of trans
portation injuries.
A summer’s nightmare
★ According to the National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse
and Alcoholism, alcohol is
involved in an estimated
38 percent of drowning
deaths. Data assembled
recently for the Surgeon
General shows that this
number rises to between
40 and 50 percent for
young males.
★ 40-50 percent of all div
ing injury victims consume
alcoholic beverages,
according to the same
report.
DON'T LET ALCOHOL
PUTA CHILL ON
YOUR SUMMER
Salena De La Cruz/The Clackamas Print
These are photos taken of what used to be a Ford Mustang until one fateful night that a 20 year-old driver chose to drink
and drive. The story displayed tells of how the driver and his passenger were killed. However, there was another passenger
in the back seat who was wearing their seatbelt.e They survived, but it will take year for them to recover.
A sober look at drinking
SHADRA BEESELY
Staff Writer
“The majority of deaths related
to drunk driving are passengers,”
Ken Boell of the/Clackamas
County Forensics department
said as he reminds us that when
you drive drunk, that many lives,
not just yours, are endangered.
The Forensics unit was not the
only outfit present at Clackamas
during Alcohol Awareness week.
During the afternoon of May 22,
the college held an alcohol
awareness workshop. Medical
examiners from the police depart
ment, and members of American
Medical Response also provided
displays and demonstrations for
Clackamas students.
My stop at the Forensic depart
ment’s display was also frighten
ing. A board displayed pictures
of totaled cars. Boell informed
me that in five of the accidents
people died, four of them passen
gers. In the other two accidents,
people were severely injured; one
was a police officer.
The first item on display was an
almost unrecognizable Ford
Mustang that had been complete
ly totaled by a drunk driver. In
place of the two front seats were
the engine and the hood of the
car. A plaque at the rear of the
vehicle told the story of a 20-
year-old drunk driver who killed
himself and his 23-year-old
friend, and severely injured the
17-year-old backseat passenger.
The next stop at the exhibit was
the Medical Examiner’s truck.
Real human remains (bones) and
pictures of death scenes were on
display to remind students of the
ultimate consequences of drunk
driving.
Deputy Medical
Examiner Jeff Gibson informed
me that on average there are 50
fatal car accidents in Clackamas
County each year, and 25 to 30 of
those are the result of drunk driv
ing.
The next stop was an interactive
display. Students were given the
opportunity to try on “drunk gog
gles” and then attempt to walk
the line. I was surprised at how
much impaired vision affects a
person’s equilibrium and sense of
direction. “Can you see the-
line?” Lucie
Drum,
the
Community Education and Injury
Prevention Specialist, asked a
goggle-wearer. “Yeah,” the stu
dent replied, and proceeded to
stand about 18 inches to the right
of the white line. Observing the
behavior of people with drunken
vision in a sober state was funny.
Thinking that some people actu
ally get behind the wheel of a car
in that state was frightening!
When I tried the goggles on I
was unable to walk heel to toe or
even in a straight line. With all
my other senses perfectly intact, I
could not control the direction I
was moving or the position of my
feet. Drum informed me that the
goggles simulated the vision of
someone with a blood alcohol
level of .17, or the equivalent of
about 6 beers in an average per
son.
Alcohol Awareness week was an
important wake-up call for col
lege students. I have heard stu
dents around campus Saying that
alcohol awareness week is unnec
essary because everyone knows
that drinking and driving is dan
gerous. If everyone knows, why
are people still being needlessly
killed by drunk drivers?
To reach Shadra Beesley e-mail
shadrab@hotmail.com or drop
by B-104.
★ Don't let alcohol put a
chill on your summer, urge
your fellow students and
staff to help.
Citizens in the area under
stand a few simple facts
about alcohol. The sun
shine, warmth and long
days of the coming season
provide a wealth of oppor
tunities for recreation and
relaxation, but, when
mixed with alcohol, these
activities can turn danger
ous and even deadly.
★ People under the age of
21, drivers and people
planning water-related
recreational activities
should stay away from
alcohol.
★ Programs to help people
with drinking problems:
AA, Al-Anon, Alateen,
Children of Alcoholics.
Information compiled by Salena
De La Cruz from www.ncadd.org