Oak Forest senior Alicia Tracy tried on a pair of goggles that are supposed to simulate what it's like to be drunk. But there was a serious purpose behind it.
Called Fatal Vision Goggles, the specs distort one's vision enough to make even the simplest of tasks incredibly difficult.
Giving demonstrations with the goggles is one way the school staff may do to stress the importance of safe driving.
Oak Forest recently received an Operation Teen Safe Driving Grant for the second year in a row, courtesy of the Illinois Department of Transportation. The district will take the $2,000 grant and implement a variety of activities to reinforce not driving while drunk or distracted by other things such as texting.
"They really throw off your equilibrium," Tracy said of the glasses. "I looked down at my feet and it felt like they were right in front of my. They really alter your depth perception."
The school's program will be from Dec. 1 through the end of February. School officials are still finalizing what activities they will undertake.
Oak Forest driver education and physical education teacher Tom Monahan said the program provides some necessary reinforcement of what he teaches in class.
It's programs like this that have contributed to fewer teen deaths in Illinois over the past few years, Monahan said.
He said giving kids more time to prepare and learn before getting their driver's licenses has helped too. In the past few years the state has increased the number of hours behind the wheel a student must have before getting their license from 25 to 50. A student must also have their learning permit for nine months instead of three before they can get their licenses.
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