Georgia Injury Law Blog
Atlanta drunk driving accident lawyers and auto safety advocates will be making note of a new free iTunes app that allows partiers to determine their intoxication level, minimizing the risk that they will get behind the wheel in an intoxicated state.
The app, called R-U-Buzzed was developed by the Colorado Department of Transportation at a cost of $8,000. It was meant to be another step in the state’s fight against drunk driving, and was released in time for New Year’s, which happens to be the day with the highest number of drunk driving accident deaths in the US. The app is free to download, and allows a user to input his gender, weight, number of drinks consumed and other details to come up with a BAC number. The number is accompanied by messages denoting whether it is safe for the user to drive. The “don’t drive” message is coded in red, and advises the user to get a designated driver.
The app isn’t a definitive measure of a person’s BAC level, and doesn’t claim to be so. There are plenty of other factors that can impact a person’s intoxication level, including the kind of prescription drugs he is on, and the kind of food he has been eating. Besides, R-U-Buzzed has its critics in those who believe that it could turn into a drinking game, with users drinking copiously to test their BAC levels. The strongest criticism comes from those who believe that anything less than a strong and strict “never drink and drive” message is bound to fail.
There is no doubt that the app has its short comings. However, as Atlanta drunk driving accident lawyers, we are encouraged by the fact that it does raise awareness about the dangers of impaired driving among teen motorists and young drivers. Teen motorist safety is a high priority issue for us, and as such, measures like this that take the anti-impaired driving message right to teens on their own turf, must be encouraged. Teens are some of the highest users of social networking media and technology, and if this app encourages them to broach the subject of driving after drinking, then as Atlanta personal injury lawyers,we are all for it.