NASSAU, BAHAMAS — For many young adults, university years mark the beginning of navigating new liberties like later curfews, flexible schedules and broader opportunities for socializing. With this in mind, the First Year Experience (FYE) team at The University of The Bahamas (UB) kicked off the new school year with the 'When You Drink Never Drive' panel discussion.

The initiative was designed as an open forum to discuss safe alcohol consumption as a student.

This year's panel was comprised of members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force from the Community and Road Traffic Divisions, UB Campus Security and the Heineken Brand Manager from Commonwealth Brewery Limited (CBL). The forum covered important topics like the consequences of irresponsible alcohol consumption, wet zones on a dry campus and the country's road traffic laws.

Students at The University of The Bahamas captured toasting with complimentary bottles of Heineken 0.0 after participating in the When You Drink Never Drive open forum. (PHOTO: CBL Bahamas)

Students were eager to ask officers what the legal ramifications were for violating traffic laws and to get advice on how to avoid driving under the influence.

David Lockhart, Chief Superintendent of Police Road Traffic Division, cautioned students on the dangers that come from having impaired judgment.

"The average perception response time for a person is 0.7 seconds; that is just how long it takes for you to realize you are approaching a dangerous situation," Lockhart revealed.

"When you are under the influence, your perception response time increases, which will give you even less time to make a decision like pressing the brakes in your car to avoid an accident."

As the annual sponsor of the safe alcohol consumption forum, CBL noted that it was happy to shed light on the company's stance on the forum's topic.

"As a company, we always stress the importance of enjoying our products responsibly and ensuring that those that consume our products are of the legal drinking age," remarked De'Shay Whyms, Brand Manager for Heineken at CBL.

"We also have non-alcoholic products like Heineken 0.0 because we want our consumers to know that they don't always have to have an alcoholic beverage when they go out, and they should be able to choose."

Attendees of the forum could be seen testing out the "drunk goggles" brought by the policemen and asking questions about their experiences in the field. Students walked away from the forum with a sweet treat, a complimentary Heineken 0.0, and a fresh perspective on the importance of responsible consumption.

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