The Student Health and Counseling Center (SHCC) hosted an event that focused on impaired driving and drinking responsibly on Oct. 28.
The event organizers urged the Fresno State community to take initiative and discourage impaired driving among others.
“We have the ability to talk and communicate, and in that [we] transfer wisdom, transfer experience, transfer health and safety through communicating,” said Jasmin Rivas, a program specialist for Mothers Against Drunk Driving Central Valley (MADD).
The Sip Smarter event took place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Student Union, Ruiz Ballroom 105. Rivas and Miranda Rogers, a health educator of the SHCC, were the main presenters of the event.
The Student Involvement Center and Off-Campus Student Life members also participated in the event.
“The event was actually very educational,” said Devin Yang, a senior communications and journalism major. “I’m not much of a drinker myself, so just seeing the perspective of how it [drunkenness] would feel like, even in the legal limit, was just eye-opening to me.”
The event began with Rivas affirming to the audience that MADD is against the action of impaired driving and not the individuals themselves.
Rivas then presented a six-minute video dedicated to 3-year-old Ryan Jahn, 11-month-old Kaitlyn Jahn and their mother, Mandy Jahn, who died in an accident with an impaired driver on Nov. 6, 2008.
Rivas provided statistics on alcohol related driving accidents after the dedication. In 2022, 13,524 lives were lost from alcohol related driving accidents. Every 79 seconds, someone is injured in a drunken driving accident, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Graphic photos of damaged cars after alcohol related driving accidents were presented in front of the audience.
Rivas provided tips to the audience on how to prevent impaired driving among friends. Tips include communicative ways to discourage impaired driving among others, with phrases such as “I care about your safety” and “We can figure out a different option.”
Rivas mentioned alternative options to impaired driving, such as taxis or public transportation. She said if someone is hosting a party, plan to have a designated driver and not to skate, bike, ride or walk home alone.
Rogers provided context for an interactive booth that allowed the attendees to pour liquid into a cup in order to measure the amount of liquid.
The purpose of the interactive booth was to give the attendees an idea of how the amount of alcohol in the cup impairs them, depending on their body mass index.
“Alcohol doesn’t just harm physical health,” Rogers said. “It affects mental, emotional and social well-being too. It can lead to poor judgment, risky decisions, accidents or violence.”
Another interactive activity at the event included the fatal vision goggles, which provided a simulation of what impaired vision related to drunkenness looks like.
The attendees walked along a line wearing the fatal vision goggles, and Rivas gave feedback to the attendees on how they did.
Rivas said that MADD relies on the community to be educated on the effects of alcohol and the dangers of impaired driving, so community members can educate others on making informed decisions for themselves.
Clarification on Oct. 30: Jasmin Rivas said not to skate, bike, ride or walk home alone.
