Ford's suit helps teach the effects of driving on illegal drugs

(FOX 11) - I'm driving an SUV I've never driven before, in a closed off parking lot, wearing gear designed to simulate the feeling of being high on a drug like heroin, ecstasy, cocaine or marijuana.

The only thing crossing my mind is "this is dangerous" and I can feel it. I'm confused. The goggles I'm wearing are creating a visual distraction. They have random lights. I'm wearing earphones with distracting sounds. I've got all kinds of straps and weights tied to my body.

Ford Motor Company calls this a "Drugged Driving Suit."

[See a PDF detailing the suit here]

In the suit it's difficult to do simple things like walking, catching a large ball and giving a small road cone a swift kick.

Ford's Driving Skills for Life program is a driver education program that's been going on for three years. But until this past year, it only focused on alcohol impairment.

Now with a number of states legally allowing pot and others having big problems with heroin, Ford's Driving Skills For Life program has shifted to drugged-driving.

A 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health suggested almost 10 million people reported driving under the influence of illicit drugs. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated 18 percent of all accidents involved drugs other than alcohol.

As Ford's educational program goes from community to community, the message about drugs and driving is simple: "Don't do it."

You can check out the programs drugged-driving-suit made at a German institute in our video above.