7NEWS Reports: Fatal Vision

The latest numbers show alcohol is involved in a third of all traffic fatalities, one death every 32 minutes. Furthermore, automobile crashes are the leading killer of teens.

Tim Cooney, Central Massachusetts Safety Council
"When you have an inexperienced drinker who is also an inexperienced driver you've got the combination for a major problem."

That's the message in a classroom at Marblehead High School. Fatal vision glasses are a new tool being used to drive the message home, giving teens a clear understanding of the phrase a "few too many".

Tim Cooney
"They're immediately at 0.20 and drunk way over the limit."

With the kids wearing the glasses, we gave them a mock sobriety test and asked them to walk the line. Their movements were unsteady, calculated and often way off the mark. They all failed.

Alexis Bonacorsa, fifteen-year old
"How does this convince you not to drive drunk? Even though you might feel okay, you're really not."

The most dramatic example for Loren Grady took place in court--the Basetball court. Without the glasses Loren barely missed, hitting eight out of ten shots. While wearing the fatal vision glasses on a much easier shot, she did not do "as well..."

Garvin
"You didn't even hit the back board, can you imagine driving a car like that?"

Loren Grady, fifteen-year old
"Yeah right! I'd get in a serious accident."

So much for the fun and games: we wanted to see what would happen if we really did try driving with fatal vision. We took them to the Central Massachusetts Safety Council, and their closed driving course to put them through the test. Let's see what happens...

Without the glasses, it was easier than negotiating the central artery at rush hour. With the glasses on, trouble came after the first pass through the cones!

Jim Gibbons, driving instructor
"The ambulance wouldn't have done the second guy any good anyway."

And the results only got worse as we increased the speed and made another pass.

Jim
"You would have had hit him just about dead on. It would have been severe."

Behind the wheel, the glasses were a sobering experience and in the classroom in Marblehead valuable lesson.

Student
"I wouldn't like to experience it in real life."

Massachusetts has adapted a zero tolerance approach to underage drinking and driving. This means if a teen is caught drinking and driving regardless of how low their blood alcohol level may be, they are still breaking the law.