Holt High students try ‘drunk driving’ goggles

Holt High seniors and other students of driving age got a taste of driving under the influence without the dangers of intoxication, as the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency brought their Fatal Vision program to campus on Sept. 17.

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Carmen Drinkard, principal at Holt, said, “Today, we have the Alabama Law Enforcement (Agency) out to partner with us to present their Fatal Vision Program to help us show students the effects of driving under the influence.”

While the program focused on seniors, students in the Jobs For Alabama Graduates initiative also had a chance to participate, because the program was not designed solely for safety but also to help students understand that decisions they make behind the wheel can affect their ability to get jobs in the future.

“We are trying to prepare our students for a situation they might encounter. They might be faced with making a decision one day on whether to get into a car with someone who has been drinking,” Drinkard said.

“We want them to have the information they need to make an informed decision, to hopefully make a safe choice,” she said.

The program was presented during Holt’s homecoming week, which already featured a number of extracurricular programs, and Drinkard said the week seemed like a good fit for the school.

Students donned a pair of impairment goggles that simulate a particular range of inebriation then drove a small utility vehicle around a course laid out in the school parking lot with an ALEA agent riding beside them.

Orange traffic cones lined a course that included several turns and a row of cones to weave through.

Some students managed the course better than others. Some drove through quickly, others inched their way along, but almost everyone showed signs of impairment as they drove.

Cynthia Perez, a senior, said, “It was weird because you can’t really see anything. It is all blurred. I thought I was doing good, until I started hitting cones. I think it gives you a good image of what it is to drink and drive.”

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Nick Smith, a senior, said, “It was very strange. It was harder than I expected. I would definitely not recommend drinking and driving.”

Xavier Watley said, “I ain’t gonna lie. I’ve never experienced nothing like that. I honestly didn’t think it would be that bad, but it was bad. It looked like I was hitting all the cones.”

ALEA agents offer the program to high schools throughout the state, but the program is not mandatory.

According to Lt. Robert Gautney, many schools do the program at the first of the school year, while others opt to have the program near key events such as proms or homecomings.

“This program generates a lot of excitement among the students. They are excited to participate in something like this. It is a fun activity for them, but they get to take away some important learning. We don’t necessarily feel like our students are going out drinking now, but our students are going to take this information into the future,” Drinkard said.

“They are going to remember this for decades to come. It is something they are not going to forget. This is a life-changing program,” she said.

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This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Holt High students try ‘drunk driving’ goggles

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Reporting by Gary Cosby Jr., Tuscaloosa News / The Tuscaloosa News

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This story was originally published September 20, 2026 at 5:06 AM.