Police tape adorned the lunch room, setting the atmosphere for jagPRIDE’s driving under the influence checkpoint prevention activity on Wednesday, April 17.

The event required that students put on Fatal Vision Goggles, which impairs students’ vision as if they had been drinking, and then attempt to walk in a straight line while a school resource officer pointed out when a student drifted off the linej

JagPRIDE held the DUI activity in recognition of Alcohol Awareness Month. Previously, they have hosted the event outside and had students drive around in golf carts. This year they held it inside the lunch room in hope of reaching a larger audience. JagPRIDE was successful in attracting a larger audience, with having one hundred twenty-six students go through the activity along with 41 students who got in line but were unable to participate. Previously, jagPride only had half that number of students.

JagPRIDE sponsor Debbie Gudenkauf said that not only did more students participate in the DUI checkpoint prevention activity, but more students were also influenced by it.

“When we did it in the lunch room it has a visual impact to all students in the cafeteria,” Gudenkauf said. “You could see people go through the cafeteria and look at what was happening. They may not do it or not watch it all the time because they were eating or talking, but everyone knew what was going on.”

The jagPRIDE event reaffirmed sophomore Hayley Dozier’s decision to never drink alcohol.

“I had decided a long time ago that I didn’t want to drink,” Dozier said. “But I chose to do [the activity] so I would know what it feels like to be drunk and I now know I don’t want to feel it again.”

Senior Amanda Platt said that, before jagPRIDE held the event, a lot of students did not realize the implications behind driving while intoxicated.

“Many students don’t understand the dangers of drinking and driving,” Platt said. “They don’t realize how much alcohol really can effect their driving and may lead to their own injuries and others [injuries].”

Platt hopes that the DUI activity helped to illuminate the consequences of drunk driving for other students.

“I hope that students got a better understand of the extreme dangers behind getting behind the wheel,” Platt said. “[I think] that it will positively impact decisions they make in the future.”