A visiting speaker gave the second half of his presentation on drunk driving in an orange prison uniform Sunday.

Sterner delivered his presentation, “DUI: A Powerful Lesson,” in the packed University Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union to an audience of fraternity and sorority members and other students.

He started off by asking the audience, “How many of you have done something stupid while you were drunk?” Most audience members raised their hands.

Sterner then asked, “How many of you have driven drunk?” This time, only a few hands were in the air.

When Sterner proceeded to ask, “Who has killed three friends while driving drunk?” only his hand was in the air.

Sterner told of his last spring break in Florida in 1996. He said he thought he was out to have fun, but his vacation ended in tragedy.

He showed a video tape of his friends that was taken the night of the accident, before it occurred. The video showed a normal group of college students getting ready to go out and have fun.

Sterner said he and four friends went out to the bars after having a few drinks in their systems and without deciding on a designated driver. He said they arrived at the bar and proceeded to drink more.

He said he and his friends decided to head back to the place they were staying at, but they were all drunk.

Sterner said he was the least drunk, so he was chosen to drive the car. He was driving about 55 miles per hour when the right front tire went off the road.

He said as he tried to get back on the road, the car skidded and flipped, throwing everyone out of the car.

Three of the five people in his car were killed, one received minor injuries and Sterner was hospitalized, he said.

His blood alcohol level was .17, twice the legal limit in Florida, but his friends’ BACs were 2.2 and above, he said.

Sterner said he was charged with the deaths of his friends. He was only 21 at the time, getting ready to graduate college.

He said he served two years in prison and was sentenced to 12 years of probation. He will be off probation in November of 2008.

“That wasn’t the worst punishment,” Sterner said. “The worst part is having to think about my friends everyday and know that they didn’t have the chance to do the things that I am. There’s a saying that says time heals all wounds. That’s not true.”

He said he still has trouble facing his friends’ parents. “Sorry just doesn’t cut it,” he said.

He ended the program by telling about meeting someone who is going through something similar.

“If I can’t bring my friends back to life, then maybe I can help save someone else’s life,” he said. “Think of my friends when you go out and party, before you ride with someone who is drunk or before you get behind the wheel.”

Sterner has traveled to numerous campuses and schools to tell his story. He said he doesn’t do it for his probation; he does this to help others.