By JENNY MICHAEBy JENNY MICHAEL

Swerving through a course of orange cones, Marsha Lembke was no friend of pylons Wednesday afternoon.

Lembke, the director of the Driver's License and Traffic Safety Division of the state Department of Transportation, was demonstrating North Dakota's newest tool in the fight against impaired driving, a go-cart dubbed "SIDNE."

SIDNE stands for Simulated Impaired DriviNg Experience. The vehicle simulates the slower reactions and reflexes of a drunken driver, said Deb Kusmec, the product development director for Innocorp, the company that makes and markets SIDNE.

Lembke first took SIDNE through the course with the vehicle in "normal mode." Then, she took the go-cart through the pylons in "Impaired Mode," in which the go-cart's steering, braking and acceleration are delayed.

At the prodding of two North Dakota Highway Patrol Troopers, Lembke pushed on the accelerator to speed up the go-cart while traveling in impaired mode. Soon she was swerving through the orange cones, knocking down several while traveling through a right turn before coming to a stop.

Kusmec said impairment from alcohol begins when people have a .02 blood-alcohol concentration, which can be as little as one alcoholic drink. Alcohol begins slowing a person's reactions to stimuli at that point, and SIDNE simulates those delays, she said.

"It's reacting in a slower mode," Kusmec explained.

Innocorp also has developed "Fatal Vision" goggles, which distort the wearer's vision and cause behaviors similar to those of someone under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Kusmec said the company learned that people were using the goggles along with golf carts to mimic the effects of impaired driving.

Since golf carts do not have the safety features like seat belts, Innocorp decided to develop a vehicle to simulate driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, Kusmec said.

The Region III and Region VII Safe and Drug Free Communities coalitions have used grant money from AAA North Dakota to purchase SIDNEs to use in their communities, Lembke said. Region III is made up of the counties of Benson, Cavalier, Eddy, Ramsey, Rolette and Towner, as well as the Spirit Lake and Turtle Mountain reservations. Region VII is made up of the counties of Burleigh, McLean, Sheridan, Kidder, Emmons, Sioux, Grant, Morton, Oliver and Mercer.

Rebecca Gerhardt, Region VII Safe and Drug Free Communities coordinator, said the vehicles will be used at high schools, driver's education classes and community events to teach people about impaired driving. Since school is wrapping up around the state, Gerhardt expects that Region VII's SIDNE will appear at county fairs this summer.

"This is the kind of thing that does lend itself to any public event,"Kusmec said.

Kimberly Lemieux, Region III Safe and Drug Free Communities coordinator, said her region's SIDNE has been slated to make its first public appearance at the Cando driver's education class. She also plans to unveil the vehicle at as many other driver's education classes through the summer as she can arrange.

The vehicles also will be available for other agencies across the state to rent.

Eight North Dakota Highway Patrol troopers from across the state were in Bismarck on Wednesday to learn about SIDNE. The troopers will be involved in taking the vehicles to schools across the state.

Highway Patrol Sgt. Jody Skogen said SIDNE will allow people to feel what it is like to be impaired "while they still have their facilities intact" and are able to comprehend the impairments.

People will be able to remember, "Wow, that's what alcohol does to you,"Skogen said.

Lembke said 13 people have died in alcohol-related wrecks in North Dakota so far in 2007, out of 33 total fatalities. She said 42 percent of fatalities in the state in 2006 were alcohol related, and 46 percent were alcohol related in 2005.

"I think, from these statistics, you can see we have a problem with impaired driving on our roads in North Dakota," Lembke said.

(Reach reporter Jenny Michael at 250-8225 or jenny.michael@;bismarcktribune.com.)