Team XL educated on how to ‘Save a Life’

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Austin M. May
  • 47th Flying Training Wing public affairs
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Hundreds of lives were potentially saved on the basketball court in Laughlin's "old gym" Sept. 29.

The national touring presentation "Save a Life," a high-impact alcohol awareness program, spread an hour-long message of caution and consequence to two crowds of Airmen through video, statistics and a hands-on drunk driving simulator.

Brian Beldyga, the presentation's boisterous and unapologetic host, has been with the Save a Life program for eight years, and said the statistics of drunk driving in the United States are frighteningly high.

"It's scary; it sucks," he told the audience.

Beldyga said the average person who gets caught or has a crash while driving drunk has committed the crime approximately 427 times before being stopped, and that collected statistics represent only a tiny fraction of actual drunk driving occurrences.

Before Beldyga took the floor, Maj. Matthew Van Dalen, 47th Flying Training Wing legal office, warned the audience of the legal consequences of being caught driving under the influence.

In Texas, a single Driving While Intoxicated charge can cost an offender an additional $1,000 each time they renew their driver's license for three years, and that's just the beginning, the major said.

During the presentation, viewers watched the film "Red Asphalt V," similar to driver's education "scare films" shown to student drivers to introduce them to the carnage associated with vehicle crashes.

Beldyga said the program visits nearly 300 military installations each year. Their Laughlin visit was coordinated by the 47th Flying Training Wing safety office.

Staff Sgt. Michael Nadzieja, 47th Installation Support Squadron, said he found the program very informative.

"The visuals were great along with a very true-to-life video that hit home for people who have lost a loved one to drinking and driving," he said.

The sergeant said he learned several things from the presentation, and he believes it should be shown to students long before they can even legally drink or drive.

"I think all schools should have a presentation like this," he said. "Too many people think they can drink and drive and the more they do it, the more they think they can drink before getting behind the wheel."

Sergeant Nadzieja said the high-energy narration from Beldyga gave the presentation an added level of impact.

"[Beldyga] had a great personality that opened people's eyes and made sure they wouldn't fall asleep," he said. "He emphasized the key points, allowing the audience to focus on the most important information."

After the video and speech from Beldyga, Airman 1st Class Tammy Marshall was picked from the audience to try a drunk driving simulator. Set up to resemble a standard car, the simulator emulated the slowed response times and decreased motor skills of a person under the influence of alcohol.

With Beldyga yelling in her ear and the audience watching her every move, Airman Marshall swerved through the computer-generated streets as her simulated blood-alcohol level was gradually increased. The simulator demonstrated that, even if a person isn't swerving all over the road, their driving skills are still greatly diminished and obvious to law enforcement.

Beldyga kept the simulator running throughout the day for anyone who wished to give it a shot before packing up and continuing on his nationwide tour. He said the effort is small compared to the potential benefits.

"If I can stop one person from drinking and driving, it's all worth it," he said.