Could Mobile Apps Be Effective in Testing Impairment?
June 26, 2018- Categories: Personal Injury
June 26, 2018
Can you imagine a day when your smartphone can test whether you are too impaired to drive? The day may soon come. According to a recent Wired article, there are mobile apps being developed that can test you to determine your level of mental and physical impairment related to factors such as drinking, smoking marijuana and, potentially, even fatigue.
One of the apps currently in development is called Druid. To test your level of impairment, the app asks you questions several times when you are sober. Then, you can take the same test when you have consumed alcohol or taken drugs. It provides you with a score compared to your score when sober. This can give the driver a better idea of whether it is safe to get behind the wheel or whether they should call Uber.
Have you been injured by a driver under the influence of drugs or alcohol? Call Neale & Fhima today.
Phone-Based Apps To Test How Drunk or High You Are?
According to Boston psychologist Michael Milburn, who developed Druid, the app is built around functions vital to safe driving, such as hand-eye coordination and divided attention tasks that can degrade under the influence of drugs and alcohol. The Druid app is one of a proliferating number of smartphone-based apps that are made to determine how drunk or high you are.
Druid, according to the app website, is a tool that can measure impairment – including from cannabis, alcohol, prescription drugs, fatigue and other means. This allows the user/driver to make better judgments about their physical and cognitive states at that moment in time. Druid can be helpful for the user to determine if you should be driving, using a forklift, or engaging in any activity that has a risk of injury or death.
These types of tests are especially valuable for marijuana smokers, experts note; there is no breath test for marijuana. Plus, police and the public are many years away from any type of biomarker to see how stoned you are. The best we have at this point are apps such as Druid that ask you questions to check your mental state after consuming drugs or alcohol.
Of course, Druid and similar apps are merely tools. It is still the user’s decision to drive or to engage in any type of risky behavior. Nevertheless, this type of app is a good sign for the future. Perhaps as the technology develops and becomes more popular, it can help to prevent intoxicated and stoned drivers from taking to the roads and causing accidents. Given that 29 people per day die in the U.S. in drunk driving accidents, the personal injury attorneys at Neale & Fhima hope these apps make a difference.
Injured by An Impaired Driver? Talk to a Southern California Personal Injury Lawyer Now
If you have been injured by a drunk, distracted or fatigued driver, you probably are confronted with serious personal injuries that are costing you money and may even prevent you from earning a living. If you file a personal injury lawsuit and win, you could receive substantial compensation for your injuries, including lost wages, medical costs, and pain and suffering. Neale & Fhima will work hard to get you the money you deserve. Please contact our law offices today for a free consultation. We serve Los Angeles and Orange counties.
Attorney Aaron Fhima
Aaron Fhima is a trial attorney who has secured numerous settlements and verdicts against large corporations and some of the largest auto manufacturers in the world. Representing consumers and injury victims throughout the state of California, Aaron’s practice areas include personal injury, and lemon law litigation. Aaron has a long record of success taking on large defense firms; and he doesn’t hesitate to take cases to trial when necessary to enforce his clients’ rights. [ Attorney Bio ]
