As we ring in the holidays with a host of festive fetes, roads become increasingly dangerous for alcohol-related crashes. But Maryland is hoping the new app, ENDUI, will help its residents avoid getting behind the wheel when they’ve had too much to drink.
The state recently unveiled the app that helps drivers determine if they’ve had too much to drink by entering gender, weight, the type of alcohol consumed and the timeframe in which those drinks were imbibed. ENDUI, developed by the Maryland Highway Safety Office, then estimates a blood-alcohol content and assists users with calling designated friends or cab companies.
ENDUI also features two interactive games that assess cognitive response and reactions to help determine whether a driver is impaired, and it also lets users report other drivers suspected to be under the influence, the Baltimore Sun reports.
“The game is meant to be a hook and pull you in,” says Tom Gianni, chief of the Maryland Highway Safety Office. “Then it’s meant to give you a lesson of, ‘See what can happen. Imagine if you were behind the wheel.'”
Last year, 152 people were killed in an alcohol-related crash in Maryland, which is one-third of all traffic fatalities in the state, according to organizers with Maryland Remembers, a yearly victims memorial.
Funded with federal money from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reserved for drunk-driving education, the app is one of many across the country hoping to engage Americans. New York, New Mexico, California and Colorado have similar ones.
“I think states are starting to go that route because they’re trying to reach consumers where they are and where they spend time, and everyone spends time on their phone,” says Kara Macek, a spokeswoman at the Governors Highway Safety Association. “I think we’re going to see more of that as we go forward.”
The app is currently available for free on Google Play and iTunes.
MORE: A Technological Solution to Texting While Driving