News

Save A Life Tour gives Airmen view of drunk driving

  • Published
  • By Wayne Crenshaw
  • 78 ABW/PA
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  Airman 1st Class Roger Jimdar doesn't drink because he's still about a year shy of legal age, but when the day rolls around that he can pop a cold one, he will remember what happened at the Museum of Aviation Nov. 6.

Airman Jimdar was the first in a crowd of hundreds to volunteer to try out a $2.5 million driving simulator that was part of the Save A Life Tour, an alcohol awareness campaign. The simulator shows drivers the impact alcohol can have on vision and coordination. The message hit home to Airman Jimdar as he swerved over sidewalks when the alcohol level increased.

"When I do become of age, I will think about this," Airman Jimdar said after trying out the simulator. "I thought I could beat it by going slow and cautious but I couldn't."

He tried out the simulator after a talk by Brian Beldyga, a Save A Life Tour speaker who told the group that at one time he was prone to drinking and driving. That, he said, ended nine years ago when he watched his fiancé burn to death in a crash caused by a drunk driver.

"I drove drunk half my life and I had to watch my fiancé burn to learn not to drink and drive," he said.

All Airmen 18 to 26 years old were required to attend the event, and they spent the rest of the day trying out the simulator or watching others give it a shot. They also watched "Red Asphalt," a graphic video produced by the California Highway Patrol. The video shows real footage of accidents caused by drunk driving and the mangled bodies in the wreckage. Friends and family members of the victims told stories of the accidents and the struggles in coping with the loss of loved ones.

Robins safety specialist Clyde Turner began the event by relating the importance of Airmen becoming aware of the dangers of drunken driving.

"We've had quite a few incidents and some of those incidents have cost us greatly," he said. "We've interrupted lives and ruined careers, all because of decisions we have made along the way."