University of Findlay Receives Grant Funding for Fatal Vision Goggles

The University of Findlay received grant funding for the purchase of Fatal Vision Alcohol Impairment Goggles from the local Findlay Elks Lodge.

The University of Findlay’s Office of Campus Safety and Emergency Management was contacted by a local member of Elks Lodge #75 (Findlay) and was selected to receive grant funding to help the University purchase five Fatal Vision alcohol impairment goggles. The local Elks awarded William Spraw, University of Findlay Chief of Police, with the Ohio Elks Community Grant, totaling $750.

Chief Spraw and his team had been looking at the goggles for some time, but with a price tag of more than $1,000, the purchase was out of reach. After adding $350 of his department’s own funding to the final purchase of the goggles, Chief Spraw stated, “We wouldn’t have been able to do something like this without the grant. Thanks to the Elks we were able to get something to interact and better educate our students.”

The goggles vary in strength and are made to imitate the visual impairments of alcohol intoxication. The goggles, designed to mimic a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of under .06%, show students that even a little alcohol can cause impairment, highlighting the phrase “Buzzed driving is drunk driving.” The next pair of goggles show students what a BAC of .07-.1% would look like. Chief Spraw said, “This pair of goggles seems to be the most difficult for students, as it changes their depth perception just enough.” The three remaining strengths of goggles include .12-.15%, .17-.2%, and .25%+.

The goal of the goggles is to help University of Findlay police and security officers interact with various student groups. Officers have already met with several students as part of a request by Alec O’Reilly, resident assistant for UF dorm, Bare, Hall, and other resident assistants. “I think the opportunity to use these impairment goggles is amazing to help educate people about the dangers of drunk driving. It helps demonstrate how hard it is to use your basic motor functions while impairing your vision,” said O’Reilly.

If student groups are interested in having a University of Findlay police officer attend an event with the goggles, they can contact Campus Safety and Emergency Management at SafetySecurity@findlay.edu.