QR codes are getting popular these days. These little square codes are used not only by business and individuals but also by the government.

We have been hearing a lot about these QR Codes being used for public services and public purposes.

In Texas, they found another use for QR codes in public service. The Texas Department of Transportation are using these codes to help lessen the number of accidents related to driving drunk, especially as Super Bowl XLV is coming near.

The QR codes are included in posters that say “Win or Lose, It’s How You Get Home”.

The state has had more than 1,200 drunken driving deaths in 2009 alone, making it the number 1 state with the driving drunk related deaths that year.  Most of these incidents involved drivers that had more than 0.08 percent alcohol in their blood.

Texas DOT’s officer recognizes the dangers and then came up with the posters.  Banking on the proliferation of mobile phones, the program aimed to educate bar and restaurant employees and empower them to feel safer when sending drunken customers on their way home.

It is noted that QR codes are for the tech-savvy, and most 18-34 year olds know what to do with them.  These are their target audience.

The Texas DOT then partnered with the area’s small businesses to display the QR coded posters.  When scanned, the QR codes take users to a mobile site at TexasDWI.org.  It invites people to “choose their ride” as it presents to them various options of transportation, in clickable formats.

The ultimate goal was to get people to take a cab rather than drive.  The mobile site allows you to enter a ZIP code or location and you are presented with a list of nearby taxi services and their phone numbers.