Students were offered a multi-part event featuring a simulated extraction using the Jaws of Life, a mock DUI stop, and an impaired driving course to help prevent future DUI incidents through proactive educational engagement.
This on-campus event was hosted by San Diego Mesa College Student Health Services with the collaboration of the San Diego Fire Department, San Diego Community College District Police Department, San Diego District Attorney’s Office, and representatives from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) on Oct. 23.
A group of firefighters from SDFD’s Station 28 kicked off the event by replicating the act of pulling an occupant out of a DUI-related car crash using tools such as the Jaws of Life, reciprocating saws, and axes. Viewing this, it might have appeared as a haphazard demolition team tasked with ripping a car apart, but this was a team of trained professionals with state-of-the-art tools allowing the firefighters to perform with calculated efficiency. This clamorous, calculated destruction quickly led to a large group engaging with the event’s stations, which focused on humanizing DUI-related deaths and emphasized that DUI-related crimes are 100% preventable.
Beyond the Jaws of Life, students had the chance to speak to experts on the risks of driving under the influence, use goggles that impaired vision to attempt field sobriety tests and complete a lap on an impaired driving course. This led to students’ better understanding of the effects that drugs and alcohol have on the human body’s vision and reaction times as many students could be seen stumbling around awkwardly as they attempted to complete these simulated exercises.
It was crucial to reach this younger college audience, as half of all people prosecuted for DUI-related deaths last year in San Diego County were under the age of 26, according to Hailey Williams, the event’s guest speaker, and director of the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office DUI Homicide Unit. Williams also brought up that “a lot of people think as long as I’m under a 0.08% (blood alcohol content), that I can’t get charged with a DUI,” going on to reject this belief by emphasizing that anytime drugs or alcohol alter a driver’s ability at any level, they can be charged with a DUI.
Another common misconception held by members of the younger population is that smoking and driving is not as dangerous as drinking and driving. Williams also went on to reiterate that DUI-related accidents are not limited to just alcohol, but can include “prescription and illegal drugs,” specifically marijuana. According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, 60% of blood samples from suspected impaired drivers in 2023 contained drugs other than alcohol, and many incidents are caused by substances other than alcohol.
It is important to remember that there are many options available instead of getting behind the wheel impaired, including using ridesharing applications, taking advantage of public transportation, or having a designated driver who can take everyone home safely.
Ridesharing Applications
According to Statista, the average Uber ride in the United States costs $25, substantially less than the $15,000 average financial cost of a DUI in San Diego.
Public Transportation
Take advantage of trolley, bus, and Coaster routes in San Diego instead of getting behind the wheel.
Designated Drivers
During a night out, have one friend abstain from drinking, ensuring the group will have a sober driver to get everyone home.
