"Blow Here, Please"

Last year there were 62 DWI arrests on UB's campus. Alcohol is present on college campuses around the globe and has plunged students into four years spent under the influence.

Alcohol.edu, the program that is required for all UB incoming freshman students to complete, attempts to teach students how to keep their alcohol in check. The danger of alcohol presents itself when students don't monitor what or how much they're drinking.

An alternate technique to encourage alcohol safety has been developed and implemented around bars in Buffalo and Ontario.

Ladybug Technologies, a technology firm based in Canada, has recently expanded into the U.S. through UB's Office of Science, Technology Transfer and Economic Outreach (UB STOR). The company has been striving to invent and distribute products focused on social change.

"We really chose Buffalo to pilot our SipSmart Network Kiosk as a way to give back to our local community," said Christine Montag, co-founder and chief operating officer of Ladybug Technologies, in an interview with Artvoice.

The SipSmart is a Breathalyzer program that helps bar patrons monitor their Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) throughout the night in order to prevent alcohol related accidents, such as drunk driving.

From 2000 to 2008, Erie County has had over 3,000 DWI arrests per year, and drinking and driving in Buffalo has become more common than in other cities.

On Ladybug Technologies' website, the company stresses the importance of being completely aware of how much and how fast you consume alcohol. The company compares it to knowing what the speed limit is but not having the speedometer to monitor the speed. Comparable to when someone is drinking without a way to measure how intoxicated he or she really is. Having a Breathalyzer conveniently stationed in bars gives drinkers an opportunity to gauge their "drinking m.p.h."

However, the company knows that encouraging safe choices when drinking is not as simple as giving away pamphlets filled with BAC calculations and weight charts. That's why they designed the SipSmart Breathalyzer. The program gives social drinkers an affordable way to keep tabs on their alcohol consumption.

"For some, this will mean they can relax when leaving the bar to drive home, knowing that they are in fact within legal limits," Montag said. "For others, they will stop drinking sooner. Either way society benefits."

To use the SipSmart, the customer must first create a login ID and password where their information is kept for statistical purposes only. Three times during the course of the night for $5 they can get a BAC reading by blowing into the Breathalyzer. For another $0.50, they can purchase reusable mouthpieces and avoid swapping undesired saliva with other bar-goers.

"We believe this price point is significant enough to deter gaming and promote bar patrons to use it for which it was intended; informed consumption," Montag said. "We developed the SipSmart Network to allow social drinkers of all ages and all income levels to have access to real breath screening technology, to shift the paradigm of drinking responsibly to the individual."

Ladybug Technologies is targeting "social drinkers;" individuals between the ages of 21 to 35 who go out to bars without the intention of getting drunk. Shawn Lewis, a junior architecture major, is not sure how the SipSmart will affect night life in Buffalo, especially if it costs money to use.

Lewis said that if it was free, he would probably use it, but more for drunken entertainment than responsibility. He isn't sure about how effective the SipSmart will be on limiting drunk driving either.

"I feel like it might be helping the image of the bar more than the patrons. It makes them look more responsible," Lewis said.

Bill Caputi, owner of Caputi's Sheridan Pub in Tonawanda, N.Y. installed the SipSmart Breathalyzer in October and said it has had a positive impact on his bar with no complaints from customers.

"People are very complimentary about us being proactive with the DWI problem," Caputi said. "It could be the start of all bars taking the lead in helping our patrons get home safely."

Caputi admitted that every bar has had problems with people leaving the bar at various intoxicated levels. Now, if the SipSmart indicates that a customer has a high BAC, the bar will ask the patron to find another ride or take a cab home. In some cases, designated employees from the bar will take the intoxicated patrons home themselves.

The SipSmart is trying to revolutionize the nightlife scene by making it safer and more enjoyable.

Email: features@ubspectrum.com