What is the Ford drunk suit and how can it save you?
South Africans are not easily put off by the legal ramifications of drinking and driving, or drinking and walking. “It won’t happen to me” is a common attitude amongst many South Africans, particularly amongst the younger generation.
Yet, alcohol has been found to be present in over 60% of pedestrian deaths where blood was tested, and 90% of male pedestrians killed at night. Alcohol played a significant role in the road death toll figures for the previous festive season, in which more than 1 500 people died on our roads.
Statistics released in January 2014 following the 2013/2014 festive season indicated that more than 1 500 people were killed in close to 1 300 fatal crashes recorded on South African roads over the period. Of those fatalities, drunk pedestrians proved to be very hazardous, too.
Ford’s innovative Drunk Suit recently made a stop in South Africa as part of its global tour to show consumers the effects of drinking and driving. Ford’s Drunk Suit was developed especially by the Meyer-Hentschel Institute in Germany to simulate the physical body changes and challenges experienced by a person under the influence of alcohol.
A number of volunteers tried out the suit at a sober challenge hosted at Johannesburg’s Nasrec Expo Centre. They were fitted with earmuffs to impair hearing and delay reactions; vision impairment glasses that produce ghost images and tunnel vision; and a number of weights and pads were placed on them to slow and restrict their movements and reaction times. The overall impact was the drunk sensation that a driver feels when he or she has to use reflexes and movements whilst driving.
Below is an inforgraphic of Ford’s innovative drunk suit:
Remember, you could loose everything the moment you choose to drink and drive.