RideLink: Wearable Computing to Prevent DUI

Don't drive drunk. Use RideLink to make sure you always have a safe way to get home.

Brescia in northern Italy faced a big increase in the number of automobile accidents involving young, drunk drivers. We helped local authorities find a digital solution to this social problem first through a process of civic engagement with young people in the city and then, based on what we learned, by developing a system that combined a wearable technology, mobile phones, and a Web infrastructure specifically aimed at establishing a peer-to-peer trust network. Building on direct human connections, Brescian youth could address the social problem of drunk driving themselves, but aided by government institutions. Each user of Ride.Link registered on an online social networking platform, a network of friends is established, and then—wearing smart bracelets when out partying or at clubs—could access a simple breathalyzer to determine whether driving would be safe. If not, the bracelet would send a message through the system, via the cellphone, to contact a friend who can drive.