https://cbu0-my.sharepoint.com/personal/arodrig8_cbu_edu/_layouts/15/guestaccess.aspx?docid=1b97d4475a1014951bd43713145cc2ca5&authkey=AQXNY92_U1X2Ivveq3X_V0E&e=4%3Ad5806556288c4279bd181076e8599bef
SafeStreet is an app that connects through Bluetooth to your car and aims to keep drunk drivers off the street. It does this by locking the cars engine if the user fails to pass a safe driving test, which is designed to be extremely hard for someone who is drunk to pass.
3 comments:
SafeStreet, on the surface, seems like a very useful app. I think most people can get behind its purpose, and most either know someone who has driven drunk or knows someone affected by drunk driving. So, its goal is generally agreed upon, and the issue it tackles is ubiquitous.
I think there are some reasonable objections to this app, though, and I’ll mention those before the positive things about it. First, it only works through Bluetooth technology, so it wouldn’t work on older cars. That’s a minor issue, though, because those older cars will gradually be phased out as newer, Bluetooth-equipped cars flood the market.
Another problem I have is that it seems that even a drunk person could defeat it. Let’s say I’m not “black-out” drunk, but I’m very buzzed. It’s still not safe to drive, but I’ve gone through the routine of the SafeStreet app so many times that I’m able to get past its tests and get in the car. Now, I know that SafeStreet will never prevent every drunk driver from getting on the road. But the tests do seem a little basic and somewhat easy to overcome with just a little practice.
A solution to my second suggestion may be changing up the tests within the app fairly frequently (to keep people “on their toes”). Make them totally different types of tests, too. You could make gyroscopic tests, sound tests, visual games/tests, simple math questions, etc. That would certainly help.
As far as the good things about it, I like the simplicity of the app, and I like its connection to calling an Uber ride if need be. The remote-start function would be attractive to users as well. Those are some nice features. And again, its purpose is worthwhile. I wonder if you could spread the scope of this app to maybe include other driving impairments: texting and driving, falling asleep at the wheel, etc. Maybe not, but it seems like that’s possible.
One thing to watch out for with this app, though, is the valuable information stored in it. Car insurance companies, juries, etc., would love to get their hands on information regarding how much certain people get drunk and locked out of their car. That would be corporate gold. SafeStreet would potentially have to have a solid plan in place to handle situations like that, because this app would turn some heads, especially some greedy ones.
Cutting down on accidents starting with drunk drivers - I think that the presentation of the app for this project was particularly good. None of us are full-time researchers and developers so, like all of the other projects, there are many cases of misconceptions.
Starting off, there's a plethora of legal mumbo-jumbo that will have to be immediately referenced on the app. There must some type of way of informing all of the users that there information could or could not be used in either a statistical or political means.
However, the overall idea of the project was worth while. I personally believe that it was a good idea presented at the wrong time. If you all had of went maybe 3rd or 4th in the rotation, I presume that most of the flaws and misconceptions present in the project would have been eliminated after seeing the preceding presentations and hearing the questions that were asked at the end of each one of those.
In conclusion, if you ever get an opportunity to innovate something like this for another class or at another time in your life, I believe that y'all all have the potential and drive to do 10x better.
I personally liked the idea of SafeStreet. The fact that it would be able to disable a drunk person's car until they are sober enough to pass the test would save many drivers from accidents. The problem that I have with the app is that it could be deleted. Say for instance, a drunk person fails the exam on the app. What would stop that person from exiting the app and deleting it, and if they do delete it, what would stop them from drunk driving? There should be fail-safes just in case these events ever happen.
If one did delete their app when they failed the exam, the car should stay disabled until they re-download and take the exam again. Drunk people may be clumsy, but they aren't stupid. A person who is drunk loses the function to make responsible choices, so if they fail the test on the app, they could just easily delete the app and drive drunk. This defeats the whole purpose of the SafeStreet app. One solution to this is to make some sort of authorization check when they take the test. This fail-safe would only allow the engine to start up when the person passed the test. For example, if someone deleted the app because they failed the test, then the engine would not start up even when it isn't connected to the app. The reason for this is because the app would have already deactivated the engine when first installed, making SafeStreet the only way to turn on the car. Now, if the person deleted the app before or after they took the test (and passed), then the app would have no effect on the engine. The fail-safe would only happen if a person fails the test while the app is downloaded. Consequently, this would force the driver to re-download the app and take the test again when they are sober enough to drive, causing even less drunk drivers from driving and getting into accidents.
All in all, SafeStreet is a good idea that could keep many people safe when driving. Although the test for the app could use some work, it does enough to keep most drunk drivers from driving their car. The main issue with the app is its ability to hinder drunk drivers from deleting it, effectively making it useless. That is why a fail-safe should be initiated when the driver takes the test; so, if someone fails the test and deletes it, the car would still not turn on until the person downloads the app again and retakes the test until they pass. Thus, ensuring a safe experience on the streets.
Post a Comment