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Airmen learn dangers, expense of drunk driving

  • Published
  • By Brandice J. O'Brien
  • Staff Writer
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  A driving under the influence offense in Oklahoma will cost a first-time offender an average of $10,000 to $14,000. Sgt. Jason Yingling, of the Oklahoma County Highway Safety Office, asked Airmen from the 34th Combat Communications Squadron Sept. 28 if they could afford that expense.

He briefed the audience of approximately 75 Airmen before allowing several of them to experience the sensation of drunken driving through vision-distorted goggles, while operating a remote-controlled go-cart in a small supervised course.

"Oklahoma is one of the only states in the country where it's cheaper to kill someone in cold blood than it is to get a DUI," said Sergeant Yingling, law enforcement liaison. "This is the only time you'll ever hear me begging and pleading you not to do it. It'll ruin your career and ruin your life. Financially, it'll set you back so far, you'll be digging out of holes and it's horrible; it's not worth it."

The officer told the Airmen the telltale signs that let an officer know a person is intoxicated reassuring them he has a 100 percent conviction rate, adding probability favors the law.

The sergeant said an officer will first notice the smell of alcohol on someone who has been drinking. Through the course of conversation, he may gain more information and ask the suspect to participate in a series of tests. Among them, the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, also known as the eye-bounce test. If a driver is impaired, he will not be able to follow the line of a pen or flashlight without his eyes bouncing. It is an involuntary eye muscle movement that occurs when intoxicated.

Assuming the driver is indeed intoxicated, Sergeant Yingling broke down the costs from the moment of arrest to the court charges if arrested outside of Tinker's fence.

The first charges a drunken driver will face are the wrecker service and cost to impound a car, which is roughly $400. The incarceration and bond charges with medical screening will cost approximately $3,000. To apply to get back a license may cost up to $1,100 with attorney fees, a hearing, reinstatement fees and jail video challenge, which ensures the arresting officer followed the proper protocol when processing the suspect.
So far, expenses are in the ballpark of $8,400, but it does not include the cost of the attorney's services, which average between $500 and $8,500. Nor, does it include the cost of an ignition interlock device.

Sergeant Yingling said in 2011, Oklahoma implemented the Erin Swezey Act. It is named for an Edmond resident and Oklahoma State University sophomore who was killed in 2009 on the Kilpatrick Turnpike when another vehicle driven by a drunken driver struck hers head-on. The drunk driver had been traveling in the wrong direction and had a blood alcohol content of .29, more than three times the legal limit when he hit Ms. Swezey. His license had been revoked six times in eight years.

The Erin Swezey Act introduces another consequence to driving drunk and mandates that when a driver has his license reinstated, he must have an ignition interlock device installed in his vehicle. The device requires drivers to blow into the apparatus to determine if they are fit to drive. The equipment is calibrated to a specific driver; it must be kept in the car for 18 months and can cost $2,500.

While drunken drivers will continue to test their limits and the system, Sergeant Yingling asked if it was worth it when, if nothing else, drinking responsibly, calling a taxicab service or friend or even staying put can drastically cut that cost.

Tech. Sgt. Harold Tetzlaff, a Wisconsin native whose sister was hit by an underage drunk driver in October 2008 and suffers from recurring back pain, said isn't worth it and the experience with the goggles and go-kart confirmed his thoughts.

"After having the goggles on and being impaired like that, I don't understand how people can operate actual cars and not kill someone," he said. "Operating a vehicle in this controlled environment was difficult in itself."

Tech. Sgt. Bill Corriston agreed the go-kart experiment is a worthwhile teaching tool.
"It reaffirms how little you can drink and still be impaired," he said. "Drivers have to realize it's not just them they're affecting when they do something like that."

Both technical sergeants said they'd participate in Sergeant Yingling's activity again. The 34th CBCS offers monthly drunk driving safety briefings organized by Tech. Sgt. Melisa Custer and Airman 1st Class Todd Caldwell.