NHRA News: Top Fuel's Baca shares the dangers of drinking and driving (12/16/2002)

Top Fuel's Baca learns the dangers of drinking and driving

Contributed by John Cardinale, Infineon Raceway
12/16/2002

"You just can't drink and drive; there is too much at stake."
– David Baca

People were drinking and driving at Infineon Raceway this past weekend with the full approval of all law enforcement agencies in the nine Bay Area counties.

Twenty-seven people participated in the sixth annual "Holiday Sobriety Challenge" at Infineon Raceway, a controlled wine and beer tasting experiment that graphically illustrates the dangers of drinking and driving, even at levels well below the legal limit of .08-percent. The event was co-sponsored by Bay Area law enforcement agencies and the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School.

The event also signaled the start of the Bay Area Regional Avoid effort for the holiday season, which began Friday with DUI checkpoints throughout the nine Bay Area counties, as well as roving DUI enforcement. Bay Area Regional Avoid is comprised of all 125 law enforcement agencies in the Bay Area, and the message is clear: if you are planning to consume alcohol, be sure to have a designated driver.

Participants on Friday included San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Worrell, NHRA POWERade drag racer David Baca, and NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series driver Bryan Germone. Other people who took the challenge included politicians, lawyers, college students, and county employees.

Testers were given anywhere from one to three glasses of wine or beer upon arrival, donated by Beaulieu Vineyard and Mount St. Helena Brewery, before submitting to field sobriety tests, including a breathalyzer analysis. Once it was determined participants were at a level between .03 and .05, they were asked to get behind the wheel of an automobile and drive through a pre-determined course at the raceway. All drivers were accompanied by an instructor from the Jim Russell School.

Only nine of 27 people who took the test passed, further illustrating the dangers of drinking and driving. Nearly 70-percent of those who have taken the Holiday Sobriety Challenge over the last three years have failed

"I had a blood alcohol level of .031 and I did OK behind the wheel but I certainly felt the alcohol," said Worrell, who passed the test. "I'm surprised I did as well as I did because I thought I was making quite a few mistakes. This was a good program and I really think it hammers home the message of having a designated driver if you are going to drink."

Baca, a Brentwood resident, also passed the test with a BAC of .046. Like Worrell, he realizes the dangers of getting behind the wheel after consuming alcohol.

"Sure, I passed the test but that doesn't minimize how dangerous it is to drink and drive on the streets," said Baca, a father of two teenagers. "I was in a controlled setting here, but it isn't controlled on the highway. It's real life. You just can't drink and drive; there is too much at stake."

"This is a great program," said Brentwood officer Mark Louwerens, one of approximately 100 officers at the event. "We need to continue to educate people and get the word out that drinking and driving isn't safe."

Statistics within the state of California reflect a need for programs such as the Holiday Sobriety Challenge. Alcohol was involved in 1,308 collision-related fatalities in California in 2001, up 12-percent over 1999. Locally, alcohol was involved in 257 collision-related fatalities from 1999-2001 on Bay Area roadways. Figures used were supplied by the California Highway Patrol.

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