Now that smart phones are ubiquitous, developers have created apps to help us with nearly every aspect of daily life. Finances. Diet management. Avoiding traffic. Shopping. More shopping. And even more shopping.
Some of the most surprising apps, however, may be those that are designed to help you avoid a North Carolina DWI.
First, the bad news.
Although knowing how to handle a DWI traffic stop, check point, or arrest, and hiring excellent legal representation may decrease your chances of getting hit with a DWI, the bottom line is that the only surefire way to prevent a conviction is to avoid driving drunk in the first place.
That said, planning ahead before you go out for a night of drinking can help you get home safely without hampering your good time. To that end, we’ve provided a rundown of the best apps to avoid drunk driving and help you get home safely after a night out on the town.
Best Apps to Prevent Drunk Driving in North Carolina
Several apps can help you monitor your drinking habits while you’re out on the town and call for a ride home if necessary.
Drink Tracker
Most people don’t have any way of knowing how many drinks will put them over the legal limit. Drink tracker helps estimate your blood alcohol content (BAC) by factoring in your age, weight, sex, and height as you log your drinks. This app can also help you find a ride home when you need it.
One downside? For an accurate calculation, you have to actually remember to keep logging your drinks. Drink tracker is also for iOS users only – Android offers AlcoDroid, which we cover below.
AlcoDroid
This app estimates your BAC similarly to Drink Tracker. However, AlcoDroid does not have a feature to help you find a ride home. For this, consider Have a Plan, SaferRide, and plain old ride sharing apps, which we outline below.
ENDUI
This app is for both Andriod and iOS phones. Similar to Drink Tracker and AlcoDroid, ENDUI estimates your BAC as you log drinks. It also features reflex games used to demonstrate the effects of alcohol on your reaction time, and the ability to report others for driving drunk.
Have a Plan
Have a Plan is a good all-around app. It can be used to estimate your BAC, play reflex games, store the names and numbers of people you can call if you need a ride home, and call for a taxi.
Breathometer
This app may be more accurate than other apps used to estimate BAC, because it requires the use of an external device that directly measures your BAC. A portable breathalyzer measures your BAC, and the app provides an estimate of how long you’ll need to stop drinking before you’re safe to drive again.
Alcohoot
Alcohoot also uses a portable breathalyzer to measure your BAC. It also tracks data over time to help you learn more about your drinking habits and your recommended BAC limit. If you’re over the legal limit, you can also use this app to book a ride home.
BrethalEyes
Your eye movements can provide a rough estimate of your level of intoxication. BrethelEyes scans your eyes for horizontal gaze nystagmus, which is an involuntary movement that occurs when you are inebriated. In fact, this is one of the things police use in sobriety field testing.
Best Apps to Get North Carolinians Home Safely after Drinking
If you’ve really overdone your drinking, getting home in one piece can become a problem even if you don’t intend to drive. Here are some apps that can get you home safely in these situations.
Ride Sharing Apps
Ride sharing apps such as Uber or Lyft are an old standby for getting home easily after a night out. Saving your home address and credit card information ahead of time can make using the app a bit easier in the event that you’ve really overdone it.
You can also ask a friend to request your ride. Alternatively, Uber allows you to schedule rides, so if you know where you’ll be at closing time, you can even schedule your ride ahead of time.
SaferRide
This app is designed for simplicity of use – something that’s incredibly useful if your drinking have made it hard to think straight. How simple is it? SaferRide features only three buttons to help you get home: find your location, call friends, or call a taxi.
Of course, technology can’t stop you in and of itself, and – as mentioned above – the best way to avoid a DWI is to simply not drive after drinking. Planning your night ahead of time and downloading these apps can help, but you still have to take action on your own.