Students take a spin, get the spins with TUPD

Troy University Police Department (TUPD) partnered with the Welcome Week committee to teach students the dangers of driving under the influence last Friday.

On the quad, TUPD placed students wearing goggles that simulated being under the influence behind the wheel of a golf cart. The hope from the simulation was for students to learn the importance of staying safe when they go out drinking.

“It's just to give everybody an idea of how it is to drive drunk and show everybody that it's not exactly safe to do,” said TUPD Officer Dillan Schoggins. “People have been running over cones all day, and we're trying to get them to understand that they can go out and have a good time at night, but at the same time we've got to make sure we're staying safe.”

TUPD also offered field sobriety tests to students who wanted to see what would happen if they were pulled over. While some students described it as a fun experience, they also said they saw the lesson behind the simulation.

"It’s a fun activity but also a learning activity,” said Ja’Maiya Brooks, a freshman chemistry major from Dothan, Alabama. “It's good for everybody to actually notice what it'll seem like if you're driving drunk before people just be like, 'Oh, I'm fine; I can take like three shots, and I'll be able to drive perfectly fine.’”

Students who attempted the course could go multiple times, upping their “intoxication” level by changing their goggles or switching to goggles that simulated a cannabis high.

“I did good the first time,” said Mackenzie Hayes, a sophomore nursing major from Auburn, Alabama. “I did it twice, and the second time I hit a cone.

“I learned to never drunk drive and that I’m not a pro at it.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, almost 12,000 people died from alcohol-impaired driving accidents in 2024.

Students who find themselves outside and in need of a designated driver to bring them back home can contact TUPD. TUPD offers all students a free ride home through its Choose Your Ride program.

"If you go outside to one of these bars around here or someone's house and you have a little too much drink or maybe your DD is doesn't exactly hold up their end of the bargain […] you can call our non-emergency number,” Schoggins said. “We will come, pick you up and take you back to your dorm, apartment or wherever it is you live.”

Those interested in requesting a ride can put in a request through the Omnilert app or call the TUPD nonemergency line at 334-670-3215.