Walk on the wild side at the fair? CHP’s ‘beer goggles’ mimic the effects of drinking and driving

Queasiness at the county fair? Was it The Zipper? The Tilt-a-Whirl? The fried Twinkies?

Well, at one spot at the Santa Cruz County Fair this week, some unsettled stomachs were at the California Highway Patrol booth, where the agency’s virtual-reality goggles had folks walking sideways and feeling a bit off-kilter.

The goggles, commonly called beer goggles or drunk goggles, distort vision and mimic the effects of driving after having a cocktail or two.

“No wonder they don’t want you driving like that,” said fair cowboy actor Jason “Slim” Rariden after walking with the goggles.

The 54-year-old said he’d seen videos of people trying the goggles, but hadn’t done it himself.

 “I feel ill,” he said. “It was hard to tell what was what. ”

CHP Officer Ismael Hernandez stood by, patiently nodding in agreement.

Impaired driving remains a deadly problem in the United States, whether it’s from alcohol, illegal drugs, prescription drugs, legal cannabis or something else. 

In October 2025, CalMatters reported that California was once a leader in the fight against drunk driving but that lenient state laws governing repeat offenders and Department of Motor Vehicles license reissuance have become a major problem. Reporters Robert Lewis and Lauren Hepler found that the DMV repeatedly gave licenses to drivers convicted of several DUIs. They gave some heartbreaking examples of the consequences.

But Wednesday, CHP Officer Israel Murillo focused on driving home a lesson. He demonstrated the “walk and turn” field sobriety test section – hands at one’s sides, heel-to-toe walking, trying to keep a straight line. He explained that one goggle setting was just about at the blood-alcohol limit of 0.08% for those 21 and older. The second level was about twice that.

A common theme emerged. Participants felt like they were walking straight, but even those who didn’t lean or stagger were veering to one side.

“Is that what it’s like to be drunk?” said 12-year-old Jesse, a bit disgusted. “Oh God.”

Murillo said he takes the Impairment Simulation Goggles to schools and community events regularly, and has for the past three years. The Aptos CHP office has two sets of them.

“It’s very impactful,” he said. “And this way, people don’t learn the hard way.” He also uses sobering photos from bad crashes to highlight what can happen.

“If I’m at Watsonville High School, I use local [South County] photos, so they can relate to it,” he said.

At the fair, those willing to don the glasses seemed to be having fun as they walked the line.

Marissa Tom of Santa Cruz was there with her family and laughed as she tilted sideways walking with goggles. She said she was surprised that, wearing the legal-limit level, there was “no way” she could walk straight.

Shirley Chin, 91, of Watsonville gave it a go with some support from her walker and family members.

“It was a funny feeling,” she said. “I feel kind of woozy. And I thought I was going straight!”

Murillo said the goggles will be available at the fair through the weekend. 

Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.