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New Mexico Tries Talking Urinals

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Posted on Feb 18, 2007

New Mexico’s transportation department has installed 500 talking deodorizers in urinals around the state in an effort to curb drunk driving. The motion-activated device plays a recorded message that encourages the captive listener to phone a friend or a cab if he has “had one too many.”


Reuters:

The state transportation department said on Thursday it has put some 500 talking deodorizers in bar and restaurant restrooms in the state in recent days to remind drivers not to drink and drive.

“Hey big guy, having a few drinks? Then listen up!” a voice chirps in. “Think you had one too many? Then it’s time to call a cab or call a sober friend for a ride home.”

Transportation department spokesman SU Mahesh said the motion-activated devices were part of an attempt to “think outside the box” to tackle drunk driving in the state.

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By Quy Tran, February 18, 2007 at 1:31 pm Link to this comment
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We also need these talking deodorizers in both House and Senate for those who’re Bush/Cheney servants to clean their mouth !

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By Christopher Robin, February 18, 2007 at 9:35 am Link to this comment
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I’d be more than happy, if these talking urinal cakes, would just remind everyone to wash their hands when they are done. wink

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By Dennis D, February 18, 2007 at 9:34 am Link to this comment
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Keep the talking toilets in Washington D.C. where they belong. I’d at least like to piss in peace.

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By Bert, February 18, 2007 at 8:25 am Link to this comment
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Instead of talking urinal cakes, how about ‘nosebleed’ fines for DUI? If you get caught driving drunk, you should lose your license for no less than 6 months, first offense, and be fined 5,000 dollars, or the value of your vehicle, whichever is more, and if you’re broke, you’re giving up your car title. The car is the means you were commmitting the crime with, so, you forfeit the means and your driving privileges, and you have lots of ‘quality time’ to think about being on a public road. States should stop playing with their food, on that one, and put penalties on the books that mean something. Word-of-mouth on that would spread like wildfire, and probably save quite a few lives. Where I’m from, one of the local tow companies puts the wreckage from a DUI accident out in a store parking lot every year, with a big sign that says ‘please don’t drink and drive’. I’d say getting a good hard look at the bent-metal aftermath is a very ‘sobering’ experience,
much moreso than any novelty urinal toy…put one of those in circulation at your local drinking establishments that have a provable history of having people drive out of their parking lot potentially intoxicated, something for the customers to look at when they drive in….and save your money…it may cut into their sales, but if such a thing would inspire one more person to NOT have ‘one for the road’, that’s ‘good medicine’ there…

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