New app targets DUI prevention among NFL players
Many kids and sports lovers might look up to professional athletes. Sure, an NFL player might make a hefty salary, travel the world and be on TV. But he is just like anyone in terms of being vulnerable to being arrested for suspicion of drunk driving.
DUI charges involving NFL players have cost players and their teams money and fans over the years. Technology buffs have identified that problem and, therefore, developed a cell phone application with the goal of helping to reduce the chance that an athlete or his family will drive under the influence.
The New York Times reports that a company called Uber has developed an app that should make it easy for players to get a sober ride when they need one. Without the player having to know and tell a cab service where he is, the service is able to recognize his location via GPS and send a driver out to pick up the player. He just has to tap on the app to line up his sober ride.
So far, the anti-DUI app isn’t available in all cities, so some NFL players should go with the old school method of calling a cab or a sober friend to get them home. The new technology does demonstrate a problem that the NFL has been trying to tackle: DWI arrests of its players and the impact such legal hardships have on the league’s reputation and the safety of its players and the general public.
No app is going to change the fact that drunk driving arrests will continue, whether the suspect is an NFL player or a third grade teacher with a clean record. No matter who is charged with DUI, a criminal defense lawyer is important in order to mitigate the severity of the situation.
Source: The New York Times, “App for N.F.L. Players to Promote Safe Rides,” Ken Belson, Sep. 4, 2013