Smartphone apps help drunk drivers avoid checkpoints, raise concern
Apple famously coined the phrase "there's an app for that" in its iPhone commercials to stress the fact that its expansive app store has an application for almost any situation. The recent revelation that an app has been created to help those driving intoxicated avoid sobriety checkpoints is yet another example.
According to the New York Times, a number of apps have been created that assist drunk drivers to evade sobriety checkpoints by mapping out the checkpoint locations using the smartphone's GPS receiver.
These apps are not only available for the Apple iPhone, but have been created for the RIM and Android platforms as well. However, a number of auto safety groups are calling to have the apps taken down, the source reports.
Sobriety checkpoint apps
Sobriety checkpoints are locations where police officers stop drivers to determine if they have been drinking. According to the source, the concept is generally intended to deter drivers from risking the chance of arrest, rather than crack down on individual drunk drivers.
As such, the existence of checkpoints was never kept secret. However, exact locations were not released either.
"The original concept was it could deter someone from driving drunk because there might have been a D.U.I. checkpoint on the way home and one didn't know for sure," Corinne Gellar, spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police, told the source. "Today, the way the program is used, it defeats the purpose of deterring illegal behavior."
However, these apps may have different intentions. The New York Times reports one app, PhantomAlert, has a tagline which reads "See them before they see you!" The tagline itself may seem contradictory to claims the intent of the app is to help sober, law-abiding citizens avoid delayed travel.
Opponents call for phone companies to take the apps down
When Senators Charles E. Schumer, Tom Udall, Harry Reid and Frank Lautenberg found out about the app, they sent a letter asking Apple, Google, and Blackberry producer, Research in Motion, to take the apps offline. According to the New York Times, Blackberry agreed to pull the apps offline the following day. Apple and Google, however, chose not to act on the request.
The source reports Apple chose not to comment, while Google said the apps did not violate any of the company's policies.
Still, some argue having the apps taken down may be in the best interest of the public, as driving under the influence of alcohol is a serious problem that can lead to fatal accidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 10,000 people died in accidents caused by drunk drivers in 2009.
