Written by
Beth Farrar, SMT Writer
With today’s technology, things that we would think to be impossible are now easy to achieve. With computers, the internet, and cell phones, our world has drastically changed throughout the past few years. These devices have become an important part of every day life and even people who didn’t even dream of owning a cell phone during the turn of the century are finding themselves saying “There’s an app for that”.
On Super Bowl Sunday, most of our cell phones will be buzzing with the latest news, scores, and jokes about the commercials that will be played while the Baltimore Ravens battle it out against the San Francisco Forty-Niners. Many of us will be enjoying the company of our friends and family on this ultimate American “holiday”, whether we are hosting a gathering or driving to a friend’s house to be a part of one.
Getting behind the wheel of a vehicle after having a few alcoholic drinks with your friends during the game could be a lot more dangerous than you think. To make Super Bowl Sunday and all other days of the week safe, MoDot has recently launched an app called “Show Me My Buzz”. This app evaluates you on your age, gender, weight, and alcohol consumption so it can give you an approximation on your blood alcohol consumption (BAC). Although the app only gives the user an estimation, the app will help the user make responsible choices by averaging the blood alcohol consumption.
MoDot made the app free to use and easy to download from either the iPhone App Store or the Google Market for Androids. The app is so simple yet so important to have. Once downloaded, you can simply enter your weight, how many hours you’ve been drinking, how many beers (12 oz.) you’ve consumed, how much wine (5 oz.) you’ve consumed, and how much liquor (1.5 oz). Individuals vary when it comes to their alcohol tolerance, but in Missouri (along with all the other states), the legal limit for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) is .08% BAC.
If a person’s alcohol level is any higher than .08%, they will be arrested and charged with a DUI. If a person is driving while under the influence and they are also under the legal age of twenty-one, they will also be arrested and charged. In Missouri in 2011, 867 people were severely injured while 218 people were killed due to drivers that were on the road while under the influence. Due to those numbers, it is easy to know why MoDot along with the police and servicemen of our state take drinking and driving so seriously.
“Show Me My Buzz” is not an app that will end drunk driving, but hopefully it will deduce the numbers. It’s an app made easy, simple, and it’s at the touch of your fingertips. If the calculator senses that your average is over the practical BAC limit, it will flash yellow, saying that you might be buzzed and that you should find a designated driver to take you home. If the app finds your estimated average even higher than that, then it will flash red and say that you must find a designated driver or will be charged with a DUI if you decide to drive yourself.
Luckily, MoDot thought of everything when creating this useful app. If the “Show Me My Buzz” app asks to use your current location, do not be alarmed. It is only asking for your permission so that if the calculator finds your BAC a little too high, then the app will search for phone numbers of local cabs near your current location so that you will be able to arrive safely at your destination.
