Release Date: Thursday, July 1, 2010 8:15 a.m.
Harvey L. Bryant, Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Virginia Beach, announced today his office’s donation of $1000 to the DUI Simulation program entitled H.E.A.R.T. (Help Eliminate Alcohol Related Tragedy). Bryant presented the donation to representatives of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Southside and the Virginia State Police, who partnered to create and maintain the H.E.A.R.T. program. The source of funding for this donation comes from money and other assets seized and forfeited in Virginia Beach drug cases.
The goal of the H.E.A.R.T. program is education and prevention of impaired driving, especially for young drivers. By appointment, Trooper Lee Schoolar of the Virginia State Police takes the simulator to local high schools, military bases, and community events. Participants drive through a course of rubber cones twice with Trooper Schoolar; first without the impaired vision goggles, then with them. The drivers find that the course is impossible to navigate successfully when wearing the goggles, which demonstrates how their driving may be impaired by alcohol or drug use.
“It is important to have this program here because of the vast metropolitan population, the number of underage drinking arrests, the military population, and the huge number of DUI arrests in this area,” said Kaye Walsh, State Vice Chairwoman of MADD Virginia/DC. “The response has been extremely positive, and extremely effective, especially with local high schools and the Navy.”
“Approximately twenty-five hundred people are arrested yearly in Virginia Beach for DUI,” Bryant said.
MADD and the Virginia State Police need financial support in the form of donations in order to keep the program working effectively and efficiently. The public can donate to the H.E.A.R.T. program by making a check payable to MADD Southside and indicating “DUI Simulator” in the memo portion of the check. Donations to MADD from individuals and corporations are tax deductible. Contributors to this program include First Team Auto Group, Edward Woodard of the Bank of the Commonwealth, and Richard Tavss of Tavss Fletcher, Attorneys at Law. Many other contributors have donated their time and services to maintain the DUI Simulator.
“I hope that this small effort on the part of my office will encourage others to contribute to this effort,” Bryant added.
Please contact Macie Pridgen if additional information is desired.
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