As the holidays draw nearer, more local and government agencies are teaming up to prevent drunk driving during Christmas and New Year’s. In addition to the increased number of law enforcement officials and advertising campaigns that have been introduced in December, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently introduced a mobile app to battle this epidemic.
The SaferRide app is a free tool created to lower the number of drunk drivers on U.S. roadways this holiday season. It has three basic functions that are easy for even the most intoxicated user to understand:
- “GET TAXI” button, which provides a list of taxi and car services available in the person’s immediate area. There is a phone number that can be easily clicked so that the phone call is seamless.
- “CALL FRIEND” button, which allows users to dial a pre-programmed contact in their phone.
- “WHERE AM I?” button to allow users to easily locate themselves on a map.
The app’s ease-of-use is the main selling point, as it is easy to use even if intoxicated. The app store description describes the SaferRide app as “the simplest possible way to get home safe”. This app is available for download on Apple and Android devices.
In a recent data release, the number of drunk driving fatalities was shown to have declined in 2013 by 2.5 percent. This is inspiring news to law enforcement agencies and other groups who have advocated against intoxicated drivers year after year. Unfortunately, there is still much work to be done, as there were still more than 10,000 deaths reported in 2013 as a result of drunk drivers. That is equal to one death every 52 minutes. So while the numbers are increasing and the work of countless organizations is beginning to pay off, we are still urging Georgians to act responsibly this holiday season. Make the right choice and choose not to drink and drive. Not only are you more likely to be caught during the holidays, as over 10,000 police departments and law enforcement agencies will be cracking down during the “Drive Sober of Get Pulled Over” campaign, but it driving while intoxicated could ruin lives. Driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 of higher is illegal throughout the United States. It is our goal for drivers to give up their keys well before reaching the legal limit. For more information on what can be done to prevent drunk driving in your neighborhood, call Jones & Swanson today at (770) 427-5498.
Categories: Car Accident, Drunk Driving
