Drunk driving is dangerous, and the resulting DUIs are bad news for your record, your job, and your insurance bills. Fortunately, our era of mobile technology provides several new, innovative tools that you can use to make sure you drive safely and avoid those DUIs and all the trouble they can cause. If you want to avoid drunk driving and always take your smartphone with you to the bar, then look into handy apps such as:
1. Alcohoot:
Alcohoot is both an app and an accessory. It is designed to work on popular smartphones or tablets and supports both Android and iOS platforms. Attach the accessory, use it in a breathalyzer, and examine the results to see what your current blood alcohol concentration is. This makes it very easy to compare the results to your state’s current laws and find out whether or not you need a designated driver to help you get home. The accessory costs $75 to reserve and the limited amounts go quickly.
2. Driver Sober (Georgia and others):
Drive Sober is a state-based phone app that helps people find out where they can locate free sober rides nearby, in case they cannot find a friend to take them home and still need some help. The Drive Sober app lets you search by major cities or other areas to find the necessary contacts. The Georgia version was one of the first, but other states, such as Wisconsin, have developed their own versions, and more are on the way. Like the rides, the app is free to download. The apps, however, tend to be a little limited, so using them in key metropolitan areas is likely to be more effective than using them in the more rural areas.
3. BACtrack:
The BACtrack app is a handy substitute for the Alcohoot, if no accessories are available or if you do not want to pay the high prices for the new tech. However, BACtrack is a more data-intense app, which means it takes extra maintenance. You create a profile for yourself that details key physical information like body weight and body fat. With these details uploaded, you then record the drinks you have and the app tracks how they affect your blood alcohol content. The only downsides are that you need to remember to input every drink, and that there may be some drinks the app doesn’t recognize.
4. Axxess Interlock Apps:
These apps, currently available in Arizona, are the future of court-based BAC management. They are used when someone is already under certain restrictions because of previous DUIs and court rulings. The app ties into ignition interlock systems that prevent people from driving when their BAC reaches a certain level. The ignition interlock communicates with phones, automatically logs data and transfers information to the courts with advanced security so that DUI restrictions are much easier to manage on both sides.
5. DUI STOP:
DUI apps are a mixed bag – providers like Apple try to ban apps from containing information on DUI checkpoints, which is a form of cheating, not true DUI prevention. But there is another set of apps, such as DUI Stop, that offer a variety of useful information nonetheless. These apps provide advice on understanding a DUI, the laws surrounding them, and which nearby attorneys can help you out of a difficult place.
Evelyn Franklin is a professional blogger that provides news and information on Florida law firms and finding a Florida murder defense attorney. She writes for Musca Law, a Florida criminal defense law firm.
