Holiday Impairment Awareness

Wet Lab

When: Monday, November 23, 2026 | 11:00 a.m. — 4:00 p.m. | Press Conference at 3:15 p.m.

Where: NSCN Omaha Facility | 3111 Oak View Drive, Omaha, NE 68144

Hosted By: National Safety Council – Nebraska Chapter and AAA Nebraska 

The National Safety Council – Nebraska Chapter (NSCN), in partnership with AAA Nebraska, will host a Holiday Wet Lab on Monday, November 23, beginning at 11:00 a.m. The event is free and open to both the public and the media, with a press conference scheduled for 3:15 p.m. The event will end at 4:00 p.m. 

The Holiday Wet Lab provides a unique and educational opportunity for attendees to observe how alcohol consumption impacts driving abilities and decision-making. Pre-selected volunteers will consume alcoholic beverages throughout the event, with the amounts being administered by law enforcement trained Drug Recognition Experts (DRE). Participants will be given a key chain and asked to turn it in when they feel like they are unable to drive safely. They will also be tested using a driving simulator, provided by NSCN and Nebraska Trucking Association, and scored on their performance before and after intoxication. 

Crashes hit different when they happen to you and there are four things all drivers can do to make the roads safer: slow down, buckle up, put the phone down. This event is designed to reinforce the fourth message this holiday season: impaired driving is dangerous. We invite the public and media to witness firsthand how impairment affects motor skills, judgment, and reaction time. The Holiday Wet Lab aims to promote safer choices and reduce alcohol-related crashes on Nebraska roads. 

Get more facts and information about the dangers of impaired driving at here. 

Partner Law Enforcement Agencies: 

Omaha Police Department
Douglas County Sheriff Department
Sarpy County Sheriff Department
Waterloo Police Department
Nebraska State Patrol
Iowa State Patrol
La Vista Police Department
York County Sheriff Department
Lincoln Police Department 
Lancaster County Sheriff Deparment
Blair Police Department
Bennington Police Department
Papillion Police Department
Bellevue Police Department
Council Bluffs Police Department
Pottawattamie County Sheriff Department
Cass County Sheriff Department
Iowa Governor Traffic Safety Bureau
Ralston Police Department
Omaha Fire Department

Partner Organizations: 

NDOT Highway Safety Office
Nebraska Trucking Association

Project Extra Mile
Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Friedman Law Offices
Keep Kids Alive Drive 25
Brain Injury Alliance
Omaha Storm Chasers
89.7 The River
Jones Automotive

Thank you to the Drug Recognition Experts conducting the Wet Lab 

Officer Nathaniel Grimm

Drug Recognition Expert Instructor
City of Lincoln Police Department

Sergeant Taylor Samek

Drug Recognition Expert 
York County Sheriff’s Department

Nebraska State Patrol

Drug Recognition Expert

Douglas County Sheriff Department

Drug Recognition Expert

Thank You to Our Planning Committee

Brian Ortner

AAA

Mackenzie Hardy

National Safety Council – Nebraska Chapter

Nicholas Sauma

National Safety Council – Nebraska Chapter

Dave Felici

Sarpy County Sheriff

Russ Zeeb

Retired Deputy

Jake Ryan

Iowa Western Community College 89.7 The River

Taylor Samek

York County Sheriff

Nate Grimm

Lincoln Police Department

Joe Milos

Bellevue Police Department

Jay Omar

NDOT

Ryley Egger

NDOT Highway Safety Office

Ashley Rowe

Mothers Against Drunk Driving