On Thursday November 10, 2015, Lewis-Palmer High School transformed the main level of the school into a fair full of simulators, speeches and a bake sale. It was free to enter the school with the promise of a night of fun and learning how to stay safe on the road.

“I went to the assembly earlier that day and that is when I heard about the drive safe night. They said there would be a car crash simulator so you could know how it felt to get into a car crash. That is really what made me and my friends want to go, but there were so many other things I enjoyed too,” Howard Weber, 11, said.

Students from all grades showed up with the hopes of experiencing what it feels like to drive under the influence and not be able to control the car or their perception. The goggles that altered your vision were a big hit.

“I put on the goggles and at first it seemed normal, but then once you look down, everything is really blurry and my feet seemed so far away. You had to push a wheelchair through a course and try not to hit any of cones,” Alex Bailey, 11, said.

Weber and Bailey enjoyed trying to make it through the course together without hitting any of the cones. Then they went over to the video game simulator which made the steering wheel very hard to control.

The game was based in a city and suburban area where there were several people walking in the street and cars that you had to make sure not to hit. All while maintaining the posted speed and staying inside the lanes just like in real life.

“I thought it was going to be easy in the beginning, but then the steering wheel started to move itself so it was hard to stay in the lanes and not hit the cars. It made me think about how much worse driving drunk would be and how dangerous it really is,” Weber said.

There were several simulators to make you think twice before drinking and driving as well as the radio station 94.3 and many guest speakers. Student council also made sure they provided hundreds of freshly baked goods for only 50 cents each.

“Overall I thought it went really well and everyone seemed to have a lot of fun. I did not get to make it to any of the guest speakers which I was kind of upset about, but I got to try all of the simulators. Student council raised some money as well with our bake sale which is always a bonus,” Shelby Heins, 12, said.
The drive safe night was not limited to just the Lewis-Palmer High School students though, students from all around and parents could attend to get the same experience and really learn the effects of how dangerous and life threatening drinking and driving is. The night was set up to inform students of the aftermath of driving under any kind of influence and will hopefully make them think twice before getting into the car.