Calling Drunk Drivers
There seems to be no end to what new technology can do for all of us – including drunk drivers. As a Virginia personal injury lawyer who handles car and truck accident cases, I have seen firsthand the tragedies irresponsible drunk driving can cause. Now cell phones are coming to the rescue according to The Wall Street Journal.
Apparently, there is a new iPhone app that reports whether it is safe for you to drive after you’ve been drinking alcoholic beverages. It works this way. You enter your weight and what you have had to drink into an app appropriately named R-U Buzzed. In response to the information you’ve entered, the cell phone will provide an estimate of your blood alcohol level. If it is 0.08% or higher, you are above the legal limit and are in the category of those drivers who may be arrested and convicted of drunk driving in Virginia.
Always remember, however, that you may not be a safe driver at BAC levels below 0.08%. You may not realize it, but it is a scientific fact that your reflexes begin to slow down after you’ve ingested alcohol but well before your blood alcohol content reaches the present 0.08% legal limit. This means you may be unable to react as quickly as you need to in order to avoid a motor vehicle accident. And the accident may not even be your fault!
For example, if another driver falls asleep at the wheel and drifts into your travel lane and you are fully alert, you may have time to swerve out of the way and prevent a catastrophic crash. On the other hand, if your judgment or ability to react is impaired, by even a small amount of alcohol, you may be unable to take action in the second or two necessary to avoid a collision.
State law enforcement officials are hoping the free iPhone app will appeal to teenagers and young adults, the demographic most often involved in drunken driving fatalities. About 80% of drunk drivers involved in fatal vehicle crashes are between the ages of 16 and 34!
Yes, the iPhone app has its limitations. A drinker’s level of impairment may depend, not only on the amount of alcohol he has ingested, but also on additional factors such as the amount of food he has eaten, any medications he may have taken, and the extent to which he may be sleep deprived.
Yet, the iPhone application can be effective. Often a drinker won’t accept the fact he has had too much to drink. He thinks he feels just fine. He may disregard or laugh off a friend’s admonition not to drive. However, it may be more difficult for him to ignore the cautionary red message his cell phone sends him saying, “Don’t even think about it!… Designate a sober driver.”
If you have an iPhone, download the R-U Buzzed app. After all it’s free, so why not try it?
Labels: Motor Vehicle Accidents