This 1965 color film from Cahill & Associates of Hollywood, California tackles the issue of drunk driving, using a demonstration of an impaired driver in a test course to illustrate the hazards of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol (TRT: 11:31).
Focus leader (0:07). A record spins on an automatic turntable. A man inflates a balloon at a party in a train dining car. Narration: “This is the most unusual party you’ve ever attended. These people are deliberately getting drunk, with the later intention… of driving automobiles under the supervision not only of safety officials and police officers, but the parent teacher’s association…” (0:15). Opening titles: “Alco Beat, Presented by Cahill & Associates” over a cocktail with a cherry and blaring big band music (0:53). A wide shot of a specially prepared driver’s obstacle course in a parking lot near Reno, Nevada. A woman exits a train car labeled “Alco Drivers Test” as a cameraman rolls film. She is escorted by a smiling police officer (1:03). Real-life footage of automobiles on a freeway. Closeups on various drivers. A car runs through an intersection. A foot reaches for the brake pedal (1:23). A smashed white car is towed away. Adults drink and dance at a house party (1:48). A patient in scrubs is anesthetized. Animation overlay: A bottle marked with X’s (2:24). Night driving. A drawing of dark glasses is overlaid. A driver is pulled over by a police officer. A crowd of onlookers stares (2:44). A field sobriety test is administered. The driver fails to touch his nose (3:33). A man has his blood pressure checked by a doctor. Test drivers arrive (4:12). A map of the test course illustrates a reaction time test. A crowd of spectators sit and watch a male driver (4:20). A woman driver dons a helmet. She maneuvers around bales of hay (4:59). We return to the party scene. The woman driver is given a breathalyzer test. A man has blood drawn. Blood samples are collected (5:32). A vision test is administered (6:22). The drunk drivers show delayed reaction times on the course. Pylons and bales of hay are knocked over (6:41). Titles: “Peripheral Vision dropped 18 degrees, Depth Perception deteriorated to 26% of normal, Reaction Time increased 25% to 50% (8:10). A doctor speaks. A woman takes a field sobriety test while witnesses laugh. The man’s sobriety test also goes poorly and he is arrested (8:38). An elderly man stumbles in a sobriety test. A man is taken into police custody (10:49). End credits: Produced in cooperation Independent Insurance Agents of Northern Nevada, the City of Reno, the Nevada State Medical Association, the Nevada State Optometric Association, the Nevada Safety Council, and the Nevada State P.T.A. (11:06).
According to the CDC, excessive alcohol use is responsible for more than 95,000 deaths in the United States each year. Alcoholism is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States.
