Responsible Young Drivers, despite its English name, is a Belgian advocacy group that, well, advocates responsible driving for the young. What better way to illustrate that than with a video game, and a smashed driver behind the wheel?
Tina was skeptical that AMO_RACING87, the top Gran Turismo driver in all of Belgium, was really this hammered. She thought he was exaggerating. Well, as the resident drunk video-game driving expert here, I can tell you that going from zero to a .10 BAC in a short time—as this guy appears to do—definitely hits you harder than a gradual .10 BAC where you're more aware of what's going on and able to cope in an "I'm-not-drunk-no-really-I-can-drive" way. You start pounding whiskey like this guy and things quickly get all watery and echo-y, like a flashback sequence in Scooby Doo.
That said, I am total ass in a simulation-quality racer, so I watch a sloshed AMO_RACING87 drift into the infield, understeer and accelerate too early in a curve and I'm thinking, "What's the problem? Looks like my friends' Forza Drivatars to me."
The bottom line is it's an incredibly stupid idea to drive drunk at any time of the year, and even less smart to do so during the holidays, especially around New Year's when cops are uber-vigiliant for this sort of thing, and not just in Belgium or the U.S.
Get blasted and plow the infield in Gran Turismo all you want, but if you're on your fifth glass of eggnog and it feels like your ears are breathing for you, take a nap. Have an exit strategy if you know you're going out. You don't want to start 2014 with a revoked license, alcohol counseling and thousands of dollars in fines and legal bills—and that's the best-case scenario.
Drunk GT driver screws up big time [RYDBelgium on YouTube]
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