RU SURE is proud to collaborate with the Rutgers Police Department and the Rutgers Recovery House at Rutgers Day 2024 on April 27, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This partnership aims to raise awareness about the importance of making informed choices and staying safe on the roads for everyone while driving. As part of this joint effort, RU SURE will showcase its Know Your Limits: Drunk Driving Simulation, which highlights the critical importance of responsible behavior behind the wheel.

The Know Your Limits: Drunk Driving Simulation is a fun way to learn a serious lesson about the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol. At Rutgers Day, RUPD will set up a course to test participants driving skills. After attempting to complete the course while wearing fatal vision goggles, senior RU SURE Peer Educators and Advanced Health Communication (AHC) students will conduct a field sobriety test on the drivers. Students have been trained by RUPD to simulate the process that an individual faces if they are pulled over for driving under the influence. RUPD will be in attendance at all times to ensure safety and assist students through the Drunk Driving Simulation. The purpose of this activity is to communicate that drunk driving can affect a college community, be dangerous, and have severe consequences.

RU SURE is a campaign committed to preventing dangerous drinking among Rutgers University students. RU SURE educates the Rutgers community about the misperceptions of dangerous drinking and works to reduce the number of students developing harmful habits, especially among first-year college students. On Rutgers Day, RU SURE also provides Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) education, aligning with its mission to promote responsible behavior and enhance safety among students and the broader community.

In April, RUPD Sergeant Marlise Correa visited the Advanced Health Communication class and taught students how to perform a realistic field sobriety test. This is the test that officers use when they suspect someone of driving under the influence.

Rutgers Day is a free event open to the public and a chance to view many of the exciting things happening at New Jersey’s state university. This event is an annual celebration of academic excellence and community engagement and offers an ideal space to address important issues relevant to the Rutgers community.

RU SURE encourages all members of the Rutgers community to join us to learn about responsible decision-making and support one another in maintaining a safe and healthy campus environment. AHC students will present their infographics about drinking and driving to highlight their health communication knowledge. In addition, representatives of the Recovery House will discuss the collegiate recovery program and hand out free Naloxone or Narcan, fentanyl testing kits, and first aid kits during the Drunk Driving Simulation.

About RU SURE

RU SURE is a social norms marketing campaign designed to correct first-year students’ misperceptions of dangerous drinking as a norm at Rutgers. The campaign’s outreach is led by students taking the Media, Marketing, and Communication course in the School of Communication and Information under the supervision of Dr. Lea Stewart, who is the director of the Center for Communication and Health Issues. Students design tabling events, as well as late-night events, to disseminate the RU SURE message that 2/3 Rutgers students stop at 3 drinks or fewer, and 1 in 5 don’t drink at all. Their goals include reducing dangerous drinking on campus through peer-to-peer outreach and providing alcohol and other drug-free events to students.