I did my undergrad at San Diego State University, graduating in 1989. A lot of things have changed since then. For example:
1. You used to be able to get accepted with a 3.0 GPA and a 900 (or so) SAT score. I won't tell you how I know that worked. Now you need a minimum 4.0 and an SAT above 1250.
2. SDSU's football was relatively competitive back then - almost stealing the Holiday Bowl from Iowa. SDSU kicked off their 2008/2009 season on the ESPN Bottom 10 (ouch).
3. SDSU's greek system was still wet, allowing fraternities to enjoy "alcoholic refreshments" on campus. Today's greek system is dry - appropriate for today, but this would not have been understood back then.
This last point spurred an idea back then which I have decided to re-surface here and now. After all, that is one of the reasons for starting this blog - to take my ideas and release them to the world. The world can then either embrace them or spit them onto a curb somewhere. Either works!
So here's the idea which I think could still be relevant and helpful in today's world:
It is called the Lifesaver and I believe it could work if used as described. Its success assumes that there is a percentage of drivers that drink who never intended to drive intoxicated or could have been persuaded from driving if they were gently reminded of the risks. The folks at MADD would be better at confirming this assumption than I, but I thought at the time that all some folks would need was something to interrupt their risky departure.
So, here's how it works. The Lifesaver is a round plastic piece with elastic that fits over the steering wheel. If you are going to a bar or restaurant and you think you might drink, you simply place the Lifesaver over your steering wheel prior to going into the restaurant. When you return to your car, you are forced to remove the Lifesaver prior to departing. My hope was that the effort of removing the Lifesaver would act as a sobering pause - one that could force a thought: "have I had too much"? To make it more powerful, you could customize your Lifesaver with a personal message to yourself or perhaps photos of those you love.
So, the big question - would people use them? Would their use bring scorn from those who don't get it?
What do YOU think? Hug or spit?
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