June 17, 2011 (Press-News.org) The summer holidays are prime opportunities for police to step up driving under the influence (DUI) enforcement, and Memorial Day was no exception. Across the country, DUI checkpoints were in place over the long weekend to deter and catch drunk drivers. But, a new software application, or app, widely available for cell-phone users has some rethinking the efficacy of DUI checkpoints.
Early Warning for Drivers
DUI checkpoints are temporary sites set up on roads and highways where law-enforcement officers stop every vehicle to check for signs of driver intoxication. A series of new programs easily downloadable to cell phones or other mobile devices allow drivers to electronically view these DUI checkpoints in real time in order to avoid them.
The latest app, the DUI Dodger, alerts users of any DUI checkpoints within a 50-mile radius. If a new checkpoint pops up or a site is inaccurately listed as a checkpoint, drivers may input corrections that will be disseminated to others with the DUI Dodger app.
In addition to displaying local checkpoints, the DUI Dodger includes a built-in balance test meant to roughly simulate the walk-the-line sobriety test, a listing of common facts and myths about impaired driving, and a rubric for gauging blood-alcohol content based on the user's answers to certain questions.
Disagreement over Purpose
The makers of the DUI Dodger insist that the purpose of the app is to heighten awareness of the inherent dangers of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. Some believe this is a laudable goal: simply knowing that a checkpoint is in the area could serve as a reminder for drivers to drink less, and the information the app provides could persuade some drivers not to get in the car after drinking. Also, some law-enforcement experts cite the fact that most DUI checkpoints are placed at bottlenecks that drunk drivers cannot circumvent as a reason why the advance warning provided by the DUI Dodger will not hinder enforcement.
However, not everyone is on board with the DUI Dodger and similar programs. Four members of the United States Senate are pressuring major software companies to stop selling apps that they believe help users avoid DUI checkpoints. So far, their efforts have been largely unsuccessful.
DUI charges can carry severe consequences. If you were arrested for DUI at a checkpoint or other location, promptly contact a criminal defense attorney in your area.
Article provided by John J. Rice, Attorney & Counselor at Law
Visit us at www.johnjrice.com
Controversial Phone Apps Can Foil Drunk Driving Checkpoints
Across the country, DUI checkpoints are used to deter and catch drunk drivers. But, a new software application, or app, widely available for cell-phone users has some rethinking the efficacy of DUI checkpoints.
2011-06-17
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Pregnancy-related depression linked to eating disorders and abuse histories
2011-06-17
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – One in 10 women experience depression during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth. Although the problem has received increased attention in recent years, little is known about the causes or early-warning signs of pregnancy-related depression. In a study published in the June 2011 issue of Journal of Women's Health, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine offer new clues to help doctors identify at-risk patients and refer them to treatment early on.
The researchers surveyed 158 pregnant and postpartum women ...
Radionuclide treatment against small tumors and metastases
2011-06-17
A cancer diagnosis is not necessarily a death sentence. There are now quite a number of possibilities to treat cancer. In addition to radiotherapy and chemotherapy, so-called radionuclide treatment has also become an important component in the fight against the mutated cells. It involves injecting radioactive elements, so-called nuclides, into the patient's circulatory system. Bonded to special molecules which preferentially attach themselves to cancer cells, the nuclides are pumped through the body by the heart until they finally find their target: a cancer cell. Having ...
When Medicare and Personal Injury Lawsuits Collide
2011-06-17
If you were injured in a car accident or other serious accident and Medicare paid some of your health bills, your personal injury lawsuit may include reimbursing Medicare for those payments. This is because Medicare has a legal right to reimbursement for the "conditional payments" it provides to injured Medicare recipients. If Medicare is not reimbursed, the government can take legal action against the defendants (insurance companies), the plaintiffs and even the plaintiffs' attorneys.
That is exactly what happened in U.S. v. Stricker, a federal court action ...
Claims for Child Support Must be Supported by Adequate Evidence of Income
2011-06-17
Calculating child support during a divorce or custody proceeding can be a challenge. The Oregon Child Support Guidelines use each parent's gross income to establish the child support amount ordered in each case. Often, such as in cases where a parent is self-employed, there may be a dispute about how much income a parent actually earns each year.
A recent Oregon Court of Appeals case, In Re: Matter of Marriage of Mathews, illustrates the challenge a court can face when presented with this issue.
The Administrative Law Judge's Calculation of Gross Income
In this ...
New biofuel sustainability assessment tool and GHG calculator released
2011-06-17
The new tool allows users to perform a self-assessment against the Principles and Criteria of the RSB and a self-risk assessment. The online tool also calculates greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of biofuels for each lifecycle production step, from farming to final fuel distribution; this calculation can be done according to various methodologies. The development of the new tool, which is directly accessible (free of charge) at http://buiprojekte.f2.htw-berlin.de:1339/, took about two years and was supported by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).
The ...
First diagnostic test for hereditary children's disease
2011-06-17
A breakthrough in genetic research has uncovered the defect behind a rare hereditary children's disease that inhibits the body's ability to break down vitamin D. This discovery has led researchers to develop the first genetic and biochemical tests that positively identify the disease.
Idiopathic Infantile Hypercalcemia (IIH) is among the top ten most common inherited diseases. The researchers estimate that one in every 47,000 people – around 600 Canadians and 6,000 Americans – may suffer from IIH, but there was no way until now of confirming the diagnosis.
"Developing ...
Access Legal Announces Appointment of Nicholas Tubb to Medical Negligence Team
2011-06-17
Access Legal from Shoosmiths, the national consumer legal services provider, has announced it has hired Nicholas Tubb as its new partner in the medical negligence team.
Tubb has joined Access Legal from Challinors' clinical negligence department and will be based in Access Legal's Birmingham office.
Tubb has considerable experience in the sector and has specialised in medical negligence claims on behalf of patients and their families for more than 10 years, with a particular interest in complex cases and a wide experience of claims involving surgical errors and ...
When warming up for the cycling race, less is more
2011-06-17
Bethesda, Md. (June 16, 2011) – Coaches, physiologists and athletes alike will attest to the importance of warming up before athletic competition. Warming up increases muscle temperature, accelerates oxygen uptake kinetics and increases anaerobic metabolism, all of which enhance performance. However, the question of how long and strenuous a warm-up should be is more contentious, with some in the sports community advocating longer warm-ups and others espousing shorter ones. Now researchers at the University of Calgary Human Performance Laboratory in Calgary, Alberta, Canada ...
Shellpak demonstrates statistically significant improvement in patient medication adherence
2011-06-17
RICHMOND, Va., (June 16, 2011) – According to new data published in Clinical Therapeutics, the way a medication is packaged can have a significant impact on whether patients take it as prescribed. The study showed that Shellpak® calendar blister packaging from MeadWestvaco Corp. (NYSE: MWV), a provider of pharmaceutical packaging solutions, was associated with improvement in prescription adherence behavior in patients when compared with traditional pill vials. According to the researchers, a Shellpak-based adherence strategy could provide a substantial cumulative public ...
Voyages Jules Verne Launches Enhanced Service for Autumn 2011
2011-06-17
Voyages Jules Verne has announced the introduction of scheduled flights to its popular programme of escorted tours in Jordan.
Replacing the charter arrangement from Gatwick to Aqaba, clients will now fly from Heathrow to Amman with British Midland International (bmi), enjoying a number of additional benefits that include Saturday departures, an extended season (which means a wider choice of departures over a longer period), free connecting bmi flights from Manchester (supplement for other regional airports) and an upgraded flight option where customers can fly in even ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
New analysis underscores health risks of e-cigarettes
USTC develops high-performance biomimetic proton gating system
Uncovering the molecular drivers of liver cancer
A bowling revolution: Modeling the perfect conditions for a strike
Simulate sound in 3D at a finer scale than humans can perceive
Screening history, stage at diagnosis, and mortality in screen-detected breast cancer
Pitt researchers release Phage images with unprecedented detail
Sound wave research for breast cancer receives $5.5 million
Gene variant linked to benign prostate hyperplasia risk in Lebanese men
Teoxane announces new study reinforcing the biocompatibility, safety and efficacy of RHA®4 in dynamic facial support
Study identifies U.S. hotspots for drinking water quality violations and lack of access to safe, clean water
Busted! Researchers revolutionize fraud detection with machine learning
Earthworm-inspired multimodal pneumatic continuous soft robot enhanced by winding transmission
Coastal heritage threatened by climate change
A tale of two hummingbird bills
Corn leads to improved performance in lithium-sulfur batteries
SynGAP Research Fund (SRF), dba Cure SYNGAP1, announces Board of Trustees Update 2025
Machine learning unlocks superior performance in light-driven organic crystals
Exploring the mutational landscape of colorectal cancer
Researchers have mapped the hidden control system of vision
Key to the high aggressiveness of pancreatic cancer identified
How proactive salmon conservation in the North Pacific can deliver global benefits
Blocking chemokine receptor increases effectiveness of glucocorticoids in multiple myeloma treatment
Amount of sunlight reaching Earth’s surface varies over decades, researchers report
Heart valve abnormality is associated with malignant arrhythmias
Explainable AI for ship navigation raises trust, decreases human error
Study reveals erasing inequality could prevent hundreds of adverse births annually in major UK city
No “uncanny valley” effect in science-telling AI avatars
New UNCG research shows southern shrews shrink in winter
Children exposed to brain-harming chemicals while sleeping
[Press-News.org] Controversial Phone Apps Can Foil Drunk Driving CheckpointsAcross the country, DUI checkpoints are used to deter and catch drunk drivers. But, a new software application, or app, widely available for cell-phone users has some rethinking the efficacy of DUI checkpoints.