Quick response codes placed on coasters at select Michigan bars aim to reduce drunk driving
Some Michigan bars around the state will soon offer a tech-savvy way for patrons to safely find their way home.
In order to decrease the amount of drunk driving around the time of March Madness and for the rest of the year, the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association and Office of Highway Safety Planning have teamed up to create a coaster that has a Quick Response Code that can be scanned to direct people to a nearby cab company.
"The goal always is to encourage motorists to be safe and responsible when behind the wheel," said Michael L. Prince, director of the Office of Highway Safety Planning in an article on digitaljournal.com. "The coasters are meant to reinforce this important message."
In a report from digitaltrends.com published on Nov. 29, 2011, there was a study conducted with 500 participants to see how many college students were familiar with QR codes and how to scan one.
"Even though 81 percent of those students owned a smartphone and 80 percent were familiar with a QR code, only 21 percent knew how to scan a QR code when given one," the report stated.
Around this time last year, during the men's college basketball tournament timeframe (March 15 - April 4), law enforcement officers arrested 2,215 motorists for drunk driving, nearly 6 percent of the 38,000 people arrested for drunk driving last year.
The intent is to have this coaster placed in bars throughout Michigan, hoping people who are too intoxicated to drive themselves home will scan the code on the coaster and find a cab in their area.
"As sellers and servers of alcohol, MLBA members are on the front lines of the fight against drunken driving every day," said Scott Ellis, executive director of the MLBA. "This partnership with OHSP delivers an innovative new tool to offer our customers, promoting responsibility and safety across Michigan."
Patrick Glasson, bartender at L1 Bar and Grille, 1705 S. Mission St., said although the coasters are a good idea, L1 likely won't be using them.
"(They) would be more effective in a bigger city and maybe not effecitve in Mount Pleasant," he said.
Most everyone knows the cab companies around here and we're always good with making sure people get home safely, Glasson said.
Ashlee Satrman, server and bartender at Bennigan's Grill and Tavern, 2424 S. Mission St., said she believes the coasters would be effective and the establishment would be interested in using the coasters.
