Australian police announced that they will begin using Twitter, a popular micro-blogging service, to discourage drunk driving among young people. Victoria state police deputy commissioner Ken Lay said he would post “embarrassingly boozy breath readings” recorded during traffic operations in an attempt to make people think twice about drinking and driving. “Many young people use Twitter on their mobile phones, even when they’re out drinking and socializing,” he said. “If posting the details of bad behavior on Twitter stops even one person from getting in their car and driving drunk, it will be worth it.” Lay said police need to become smarter about communicating with young people by using Twitter and other social networking sites such as Facebook. “Certainly, this is one way that we’re trying to communicate our issues, our concerns with young people,” he said. The announcement came after Melbourne police pulled over the same car on three separate occasions with intoxicated people behind the wheel. “It’s another indication of young people taking unnecessary risks,” Lay said. “Fortunately…we caught these people before they either hurt themselves or someone else.”
