FSU police pedal for DUI awareness

Florida State University Police Maj. Jim Russell will end his 24-hour bike ride at 8 this morning.

He was the mastermind behind the 2.5-mile loop around Florida State University as part of the "Stop DUI in 24 Hours" ultra-marathon bicycle ride.

“I'm willing to make my legs hurt a bit if it's going to make a difference in someone's life,” Russell said. "The concept was to take 24 hours to ride a circuit around campus with a cycling jersey emblazoned with 'Stop DUI,' like a rolling billboard. Then, as the ride took shape, other concerned people said they were willing to participate. From there, it's become a community statement that says, 'We've had enough of drunk drivers on our roads.' ”

But it was hard to determine if the message got through to students. A part of Monday's campaign included stops in dorms to discuss the dangers of drunken driving.

Students say that although biking around campus is a good idea, it's not very effective, especially in a room where half the people knew of someone who was seriously injured or killed in a crash involving alcohol.

“It's pointless,” said Shane Brady, a sophomore theater student from Palm Harbor. “I'll only keep that in mind temporarily. What we need is reality, videos of people mangled.”

“Watching a video or talking to someone who had lived through drunk driving is effective,” said Jacki Von Preysing, a freshman journalism student from Lakeland.

The group of students in Broward Hall said visual images are more effective.

“We hope the awareness is going to come up on campus,” said Dan Moore of KARMA (Knowing About Responsible Management of Alcohol and Other Drugs), a supporter of the bike ride.

Drinking and driving is a concern around the FSU campus that officers are trying to address. The FSU Police Department made 126 DUI-related arrests last year. So far this year that number already has reached 130.

Russell said arrests are not increasing because the number of incidents is increasing, but because the department is better trained and more focused on it.

“There hasn't been a DUI fatality since 2003,” he said.

“All too often, when there is a tragedy, people say what could have been done and we could have done more,” FSU Police Chief David Perry said. "DUI is a deadly, preventable crime, and we will do whatever it takes to save lives."

However, freshman theater student Kevin Sullivan says the biggest problem is that “everyone thinks - like STDs - it won't happen to me.”

By Jennifer Jefferson
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER .