Gov’t Waste: Michigan Using Tax Dollars to Fight Drunk Driving With — ‘Interactive Urinal Communicators’?
- Posted on June 29, 2012 at 1:36pm by
Becket Adams
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In preparation for what they expect to be a rowdy, booze-fueled Fourth of July holiday, the Michigan State Police’s Office of Highway Safety Planning is distributing 400 “Interactive Urinal Communicators” that warn patrons about drunk driving to restaurants and bars in four different counties (Wayne, Bay, Ottawa and Delta).
What’s an “Interactive Urinal Communicators?” Simply put, it’s a urinal cake that talks. Yes. A talking urinal cake.
(Office of Highway Safety Planning)
“Four hundred of the cakes will be distributed to 200 eateries prior to July Fourth,” said Anne Readette, spokeswoman for the state’s Office of Highway Safety Planning.
“We’re doing this to draw attention to Fourth of July drunk driving enforcement,” she added. “We want people to be safe and make responsible decisions.”
The company distributing the talking cakes, Wizmark [we see what you did there], proudly touts the fact that it’s the only one in the “interactive urinal cake” business. Shocker.
So what do the female-voiced [yeesh...] “Interactive Urinal Communicators” say when they’re, um, activated [by motion!] by a restaurant/bar patron?
Listen up. That’s right, I’m talking to you. Had a few drinks? Maybe a few too many? Then do yourself and everyone else a favor: Call a sober friend or a cab. Oh, and don’t forget to wash your hands.
We’re going to be honest here: using a urinal and a disembodied voice to get a drunk guy’s attention sounds like a recipe for disaster — especially for anyone unfortunate enough to be near him when it happens.
“The cakes run about $21 each, last for about three months,” writes The Detroit News‘ Tom Greenwodd, “with the tab picked up by federal traffic safety funds [emphasis added].”
Wait — the feds spent about $8,400 on talking urinal cakes? Man, we’ve heard of government waste, but we‘ve never thought it’d be used to subsidize human waste.
Front page photo source: Wizmark. This story has been updated.
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Comments (43)
BuckeyeLibertarian
Posted on June 30, 2012 at 12:15pmAs an OSU student I may be a bit biased, but only michigan could come up with something this ridiculous.
Maybe instead of urinating on our tax dollars they should use those federal traffic safety funds to turn on the street lights in Detroit….. or does that make to much sense?
Report Post »Hollywood
Posted on July 2, 2012 at 11:59amDoes it also say Hi Sailor, gotta smoke?
Report Post »MRMANN
Posted on June 30, 2012 at 10:37amhumerous and useful, as long as they’re not hooked up to anything Big Brother
Report Post »Corwin of Amber
Posted on June 30, 2012 at 10:25amUr-ine trouble now!!!
Report Post »KangarooJack
Posted on June 30, 2012 at 9:53pmYou take the cake {so to speak} as the #1 Belly Laugh inducing post as of yet today!!!! :)
Report Post »IOWAGIR
Posted on June 30, 2012 at 9:41amWow! Who comes up with these insainly stupid ways to waste money. Must be an Obama advisor. Gov. lecturing you while your junk is out! LOL!
Report Post »Pat Alexander
Posted on June 30, 2012 at 6:35amThere are going to be lots of drunks that think their winkie is talking to them.
This could cause serious & long lasting psychological problems….
Report Post »321481
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 9:59pmYears of this kind of spending has taken a big toll on Michigan. I remember when their finances were so bad they tried to sell the upper peninsula, this is true, imagine your state trying to sell off part of it. It is a shame, they just keep electing liberal Ds.
Report Post »Corwin of Amber
Posted on June 30, 2012 at 10:26amAnd liberal R’s. Take Gov. Snyder…please.
Report Post »hempstead1944
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 7:52pmSeems appropriate since the state has become the piss bucket for every sleezy democrat politician from Holland to Bad Ax !
Report Post »grack1
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 7:15pmPut a picture of obamy on it and there will be a line out the door.
Report Post »TheLeftMadeMeRight
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 4:39pmAh piss on it….
Report Post »Conservative2
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 2:56pmThis was a pass thru of J Granholm (Canadian, Socialist, Leftist Demo crap Governor) administration left us, hell she’s almost 80% responsible for Detroit’s outcome…
Report Post »cassandra
Posted on June 30, 2012 at 10:54amGranholm and her buddie Kawammi salami was the absolute down fall of Detroit it was going down before them but they pushed it over the clift, coruption,lying,stealing.is their way
Report Post »MeteoricLimbo
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 2:51pmsexist…women don’t have urinals. Oh, maybe Michigan women don’t drink
Report Post »Angel_light
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 2:42pmhow accurate can they be if one guy has drank a lot and takes a whiz and the cake talks to him and then another guy who hasen’t had a drink all night (could be the designated driver) and whizzes on the same cake and it talks to him because there was still reminants of the other guys whiz so it thought the next guy was drunk? just putting it out there…..
Report Post »Dougral Supports Israel
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 3:30pmFor $21 cost the talking cake will be activated just by the stream with no alcohol measurement. Everyone who pees on it will get the lecture.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 8:19pmObama keeps 2 in his shorts.
Report Post »Blazen420
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 2:41pmP i s s on that!
Report Post »jhrusky
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 2:15pmMy gosh! How flippin’ moronic can these liberal idiots become! You’d think this just has to be out of an Adam Sandler movie! Unbelievable!
Report Post »Liztaylor1982
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 2:09pmSounds like the movie THX1138, where you open the medicine cabinet and a voice tells you to take your meds. Once again — the gov’t interfering right into the bathroom, doing your private business. Will they also tell the men they are falling “short” in other areas as well? “Hey there, looks like you been short changed in the genital area”. God help us.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 1:58pmAs long as Michigan pays for them with a tax instead of the commerce clause, I think they’re great!
Report Post »John Roberts.
Larry E
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 1:58pmI’d sure hate to be the poor shlub who gets to clean those restrooms during this little experiment. Drunks don’t aim that well anyway, and when they start hearing voices who knows what’ll happen.
Report Post »Angel_light
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 2:38pmthats what i was thinking.
Report Post »The-Monk
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 1:49pmI guess NOW will protest because this is a “men only” device.
“Your Honor, I would never have driven drunk if they had supplied the same warning device for Women as they did for Men”.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 8:12pmSwitch the signs on the doors.
Report Post »AllLost
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 1:46pmIt would be cool if it could judge your blood alch from your urine and tell you what it is LOL.
Report Post »The-Monk
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 1:51pm@AllLost
Yep, then the drunk men could make a game of it to see who could get the highest reading.
Report Post »CatB
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 1:55pmLOL .. you have that right! Michigan men would turn it into a pi$$ing game .. kind of like the Michigan Government.
Report Post »rickc34
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 1:56pmtalk about ******* your money away
Report Post »CatB
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 1:45pmLeave it to Michigan to be on the CUTTING EDGE of URINALS!
SO glad I left .. wish I could sell my cottage.
Report Post »HarryTheCat
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 1:45pmLooks like the state of Michigan has found a new way to pizz away other peoples’ money… ;)
Report Post »CatB
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 1:50pmThey are EXPERTS at it!
Report Post »The-Monk
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 1:44pmI wonder how many drunks are going to look for a phone # by picking it up?
Report Post »The-Monk
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 1:43pmWhat ever happened to the “Don’t p i s s on me” slogan?
Report Post »Baddoggy
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 1:43pmMakes me glad I am sober….Only fools drink as far as I am concerned.
Report Post »Doctor MD
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 1:40pmSooo. you’re out of booze, do you eat the cake?
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