Last Thursday, the Save a Life Tour made a stop at Longwood University to raise awareness of the effects of drunk driving. The tour was set up in the ballroom of the Lankford Student Union and had a variety of activities to participate in demonstrating the dangers and consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol.
The program was organized and brought to Longwood by Order of Omega, Lancer Productions, Peer-Health Educators, the Student Government Association, Phi Kappa Tau fraternity and Delta Zeta sorority.
Several screens were set up in the room; two of them were playing graphic videos of car wrecks involving drunk drivers while the other was playing an interactive drunk driving simulation for other people to see in the ballroom. Another activity that was set up for the public was a survey on multiple computer screens. One particularly attention-grabbing survey was a coffin set up against one of the walls in the ballroom. At this coffin, individuals could write on a piece of paper a drunk driving situation that has affected them and place it in the coffin.
According to the tour's website, the organizers are known as the "Shock jocks of anti-drunk driving." Cejay Rich, a worker for the tour, explained that the idea for the tour originally came from a man by the name of Robert Kramer after he lost one of his family members to a drunk driving accident. According to their website, the idea grew to what is now a "National High Impact Alcohol Awareness program." Rich also commented how everyone that is involved with the program has a connection with drunk driving, as each has lost a family member or close friend.
Rich said the group tours all over the world. Inside the U.S., the tour visits many college campuses, but one of its main focuses outside of the country is military bases. He explained this is because they like to reach members of the military before they come back home.
When asked how much support and attention they receive when traveling, Rich answered they get quite a bit. They receive a lot of support from groups similar to theirs such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) as well as from police officers and the community in general. He said they happen to receive a great deal when there has just been a drunk driving accident in the community.
As for the overall purpose of the program, Rich said it is meant to give people a higher awareness of the problem and to get people thinking about the consequences of their actions, especially when they involve alcohol.
Afterwards, Rich suggested that anyone should come try one of their driving simulators before the event wrapped up at 6 p.m. They are one of the most notorious activities of the Save a Life Tour, as they give individuals who try it a completely "realistic and sober perspective of the effects of driving while intoxicated."
With the lively show presenters and hard hitting visuals, the program has become one of the most renowned in the country.
