Woodlynn Roberts tries to walk a straight line while wearing goggles simulating being an impaired driver on Thursday during the Meridian-Lauderdale County Public Library’s DUI presentation. Photo by Angela H. Cutrer

During an impaired driving presentation on Thursday, two small bodies tracked the movement of the speaker as she discussed vehicle safety and impaired driving. She had their attention.

 

Someone might think Elijah Campbell, 5, and Woodlynn Roberts, 6, were too young to worry about impaired driving. However, speaker Brittany Freeman said that’s not so:

 

“The youngest person to get a DUI in Mississippi was 12 years old,” she said. “Twelve!”

 

Though few attended Freeman’s DUI informational presentation at the Meridian-Lauderdale County Public Library on Thursday, the two children learned a great deal about the dangers of impaired driving.

 

“I learned a lot,” Woodlynn said in the elevator later on.

 

“Me, too,” Elijah chimed in, nodding his head. “I did!”

 

Their guardians – Brianna Baylor and Janae Roberts – beamed with pleasure at the results of the day’s safety lesson.

 

The children (and some of the adults) participated in an exercise where they donned goggles that mimic what reality seems like to an impaired driver.

 

“Usually, they have no idea they are impaired,” Freeman said of most DUI drivers. “These tools help people to see what is experienced. They can then see just what impairment means, and what it does.”

 

The participants made the most of the presentation as they attempted to walk a trail printed on a rug. Only those with the visor representing the lowest blood alcohol concentration could remain near the trail.

 

“If you’re in a car with an adult who seems to have drunk or taken something that would impair their driving, you can tell another adult,” Freeman said to the children. “You don’t have to go with that person – just tell someone because you have a right to be safe.”

 

Freeman is part of the Mississippi DUI Prevention Initiative out of Jackson State University’s Metro Jackson Community Prevention Coalition. Its purpose is to bring Mississippi residents the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions about vehicle safety. And how the smallest voice could save a life.

 

What made this presentation so important was that Lauderdale County accounts for 20% of the state’s DUI arrests.

“We speak to health and safety audiences, meetings, classes and clubs,” Freeman said. “We also focus on those drivers over 50 because there is a rise in that demographic when it comes to DUIs.”

 

In older adult drivers, alcohol stays in the body longer. Adding medications can further reduce coordination and impair judgment, which increases the risk of being in a crash.

 

In Mississippi, it’s illegal to drive with more than a 0.08 percent blood alcohol concentration. The BAC level in a person’s body is measured by utilizing either a blood alcohol test or a breathalyzer. In all 50 states and the District of Columbia, it is a crime to drive above 0.08. In some Mississippi counties, the BAC is even lower.

 

But even if a driver is under that amount, an officer still may make an arrest if other factors are present, including discussions with the driver, visual or reported driving behaviors, slurred speech and poor roadside test results.

 

“You can get a DUI on less,” Freeman said. “Under age 21, drivers have to be 0.02, and for truckers, they have to be at 0.04 BAC.”

 

It’s at the discretion of the officer as to whether a driver can be taken in even with a “legal” BAC level.

 

If fear of the law isn’t something a driver might particularly care about, the fact that getting a DUI is expensive might.

 

“It’s not cheap,” Freeman explained. “It’s very expensive to deal with. A driver might have to put in an interlock device, which can cost more than $600. Most people can’t afford it, but if you do put one in, no one else can drive that car, and the driver with the DUI can’t drive your car either.”

 

Law enforcement officers use different types of instruments to check on suspicious drivers who might be impaired. DUI testing, breath analyzers and odor and behavior are some. New roadside sobriety test “drug recognition instruments” are becoming more readily available.

 

Field sobriety tests are groups of three tests used by police to determine if a driver is impaired. The tasks assess balance, coordination and the ability of the driver to divide attention to more than one task during the test.

 

A breathalyzer is a tool that measures blood alcohol concentration. Officers can carry a mobile type and then usually the law enforcement agency’s station will have a larger version. BAC can also be gleaned from taking a blood sample.

 

All Mississippi’s drivers fall under the state’s “implied consent” law; when citizens file to get a driver’s license, the paperwork will include giving consent to being tested to determine BAC.

 

If a driver does choose to drive impaired, the following are Mississippi’s DUI consequences:

 

1st DUI offense

• Jail up to 48 hours
• Fine from $250-$1,000
• License suspension up to 90 days
• Alcohol safety education program participation
• Attending a victim impact panel

2nd DUI offense

• Jail from five days to one year
• Fine from $600-$1.500
• License suspension for up to two years
• Community service of 10 days to one year
• Ignition interlock for six months
• Impoundment of vehicles
• Alcohol safety education program participation
• Attending a victim impact panel

3rd DUI offense

• Jail from one to five years
• Fine from $2,000-$5,000
• License suspension up to five years
• Alcohol and drug abuse program
• Vehicle seizure or forfeiture
• Impoundment of vehicles
• Ignition interlock
• Alcohol safety education program
• Attending a victim impact panel

DUI resulting in death

• Felony conviction
• Imprisonment in the state penitentiary for 5-25 years

 

“It’s really not worth driving impaired,” Freeman said. “You can lose so much. You can cause a death. Why not just pause and wait a little while before driving?

 

“Here in Meridian, I saw when I drove in there are a lot of restaurants and places to visit. Why not walk? Enjoy your time. Just wait it out.

 

“There’s no reason or excuse to drive if you’ve been drinking or using drugs.”