The Middlesboro Police Department traveled through the tunnel at Cumberland Gap on Thursday to present the Fatal Vision program to the junior and senior students at J. Frank White Academy.

This is the first time MPD has presented the program to the students at the academy. K9 Officer Nicholas Capps said that Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson coordinated the program with the academy. “These kids over here in Claiborne County travel through Middlesboro very frequently, so for us to be able to come over here and show this experience with kids on driving impaired and the seriousness of it, I think is a big thing for the community, the police department, and the state of Kentucky, as well as Tennessee,” Capps said.

The students experienced what it would be like to drive under the influence, using a golf cart and a track set up by Officer Capps, Morgan Justice and Caleb Ayers. A set of goggles allowed the students to drive as if they had .17 to .20 percent of alcohol in their system.

Officer Ayers gave students a field sobriety test while they wore goggles that simulated .25 percent of alcohol in the body. He placed duck-tape on the ground and had the students walk the line as well as catch and throw a tennis ball and pick up keys. Most of the students were unable to catch the ball and throw it in the direction of Officer Ayers and had difficulties finding the keys to pick them up.

Assistant Principal Delaina Rhodes said, “We appreciate it tremendously, and we think it’s a really good learning lesson for the students.” She also said she thought the students had fun while learning about the seriousness of the program.