Calgary police have partnered with Ford Canada to educate motorists about the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs.

Ford invented a Drugged Driving Suit to mimic the effects of drugs like marijuana, cocaine and heroin, behind the wheel.

“They invented the suit to help make awareness for drugged driving not only to make the public aware but make the younger people aware,” said Greg Eagleson, GM Cam Clark Ford in Airdrie. “To teach these young drivers, to give them a sense of what is going to happen, what you’re going to feel like so you know enough not to get behind the wheel.”  

The suit weighs down the body and restricts the movement of limbs and goggles and a headset are added to overload the senses so the wearer experiences what’s it’s like to be impaired by drugs.

Constable Jeremy Shaw put the suit on for a demonstration on Tuesday and says it’s an eye opener.

“I put this gear on first and just tried to sit in the car and I had to stagger my way in through the door and into the seat just to get into the vehicle even,” he said. “I couldn’t even get into the car to start the car, never mind consider driving it.”

Shaw then walked the line while under the watchful eye of Constable Travis Robertson from the Alcohol and Drug Recognition Unit to measure his impairment.

 “I can only image what it looked like because the line it would look straight on my first nine steps until I turned around and all of a sudden the line has completely changed its trajectory on the way back so.”

Constable Robertson says now is the right time to start educating drivers of all ages about drugs and driving.

“It’s an important time of the year to start talking about impaired driving, especially with the holidays coming up, there’s a lot more Christmas parties going on, people are going out to parties with friends and people might have a drink or two but in this season now with legalization of possibly marijuana coming up, we have to hit home the message of not only alcohol but drugs and driving as well,” he said. “What we've done is had to teach the public for 40 years alcohol and driving isn't good, but now we have to get that message out there that drugs and driving isn't good, and to have to hit that on the same scale as we did alcohol, we don't want it to take 40 years to get that message across.”

Ford is joining forces with police agencies across the country and the suit will be part of the company’s Driving Skills for Life Program.

For more information on the Drugged Driving Suit, click HERE.