While the message isn't new, the form of delivery sure is.
Restaurant and bar owners are being asked to place "talking" urinal cakes in their restrooms to discouraging customers from drinking and driving.
As a part of a larger effort, including a Fourth of July drunk driving crackdown, the urinal cakes have been place in hundreds of restrooms throughout the state.
The unique program uses a urinal cake that features a print-message and a brief motion-activated audio message. The manufacturer says that the element of surprise and humor help make a lasting impression on those who come in contact with it.
Local, county, and state law enforcement officers in 26 counties will conduct additional drunk driving patrols through the Fourth of July weekend. While the enforcement is statewide, the urinal cakes have only been distributed in Wayne, Bay, Ottawa, and Delta counties.
The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning says that this message is especially important for young men. in 2011, men represented more than 80 percent of drunk drivers in alcohol-involved fatal crashes. Of those male drivers, more than 40 percent were men 21 to 34.
Talking urinal cakes have been used in other states for similar programs.
