Bed-Stuy: You Don't Have to Drive Drunk, Because "You The Man"

In an effort to help reduce drunk driving and pedestrian fatalities in New York City, The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) has introduced "You the Man," an iPhone app and GPS to identify the closest car services within the five boroughs to help New Yorkers make their way back to their destination.

"You the Man" is DOT's first-ever iPhone app and can also be used by tourists or pedestrians if they’re ever lost in the five boroughs.

Despite its peculiar name, the app’s find-a-ride feature uses the New York’s Taxi and Limousine Commission-registered car services (including livery service) and is available for free in the iTunes store.

"Calling a car service is the kind of drunk dialing that New Yorkers won't regret the next morning," said Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. "The technology in the 'You the Man' app knows exactly where you are, even if you don't, and it provides practical, safe options for getting home for people who decide to drink."

The app is a part of a New York City campaign that targets men ages 21-39, the group found to be responsible for 63 percent of alcohol-related crashes in New York City. It also follows the release of a study, the Pedestrian Safety Study and Action Plan, which examines 7,000 crashes involving pedestrians in 2008, to learn what factors contribute to drunk driving.

The analysis found that driver inattention was the cause of nearly 36 percent of crashes resulting in pedestrian injuries or fatalities. The study also found that alcohol makes crashes more dangerous, with pedestrian crashes that involved drivers under the influence of alcohol more than twice as likely to result in a fatality.

“You The Man” can be most useful in areas where taxis are hard to find late at night. It also locates the nearest subway stations to help plot a safe route home from any bar, restaurant or party citywide, and features games, including a "spin the bottle" designated driver selector game and a blood alcohol calculator.

For more information, visit www.YouTheManNYC.org or www.nyc.gov/dot.