Infineon Raceway will host the St. Patrick’s Day Sobriety Challenge, which will feature a controlled wine and beer tasting demonstration that will graphically illustrate how alcohol consumption affects driving performance, even at levels below the legal limit (.08-percent).
Participants in the demonstration will include:
- Dean Zellers and Ron Brocco, Native Sons – Sonoma 111
- Tim Sbranti, city of Dublin mayor
- Captain Thomas Cullen, Deputy Commander, U.S. Coast Guard
- Brendan Moylan, owner of Moylan’s Brewery and Restaurant in Novato
- Rich Cairns, retired San Francisco Police Officer
In addition, there will be participants from Sonoma State University, as well as other working professionals. The event begins at 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday, March 17, at Infineon Raceway, with participants each being served wine or Moylan’s beer. After consuming a controlled amount of alcoholic beverages, testers will then be taken through a series of field sobriety tests by CHP officers, including a Breathalyzer analysis, before being asked to get behind the wheel.
They will be joined in the cars by instructors from the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School, which is based at Infineon Raceway, for safety. The instructors will grade the testers on their ability to navigate the simple tests. Results will be shared with participants following the exercise.
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The raceway is teaming with the CHP and the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School’s Highway Survival Program on this event, which is being held purposely on St. Patrick’s Day, one of the top days each year in terms of alcohol consumption.
Consider these statistics:
Between 1991-2002, drivers statewide were 23-percent more likely to be killed or injured in an alcohol-related crash on St. Patrick’s Day, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.
In 2007, nearly half of the drivers involved in fatal car accidents on St. Patrick’s Day had an illegal blood alcohol content of .08 or above, and 63 percent of those impaired drivers died in a crash, according to the National Highway Safety Administration.
In 2009, two people were killed and 60 people were injured in 118 alcohol-involved collisions statewide on St. Patrick’s Day.
“This partnership is a great opportunity to educate the public on the dangers of drinking and driving and to emphasize DUI enforcement, especially around holiday celebration times such as St. Patrick’s Day,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Jaret Paulson.
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