Senators miffed over drunk driver apps

Drunk and want to avoid the police? There's an app for that, and Congress doesn't like it.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and three other Democratic senators Tuesday wrote executives with Apple, BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion and Google to complain about applications in their apps stores that alert drivers to drunken driving checkpoints.

"We appreciate the technology that has allowed millions of Americans to have information at their fingertips, but giving drunk drivers a free tool to evade checkpoints, putting innocent families and children at risk, is a matter of public concern," Reid and Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., and Tom Udall, D-N.M., wrote.

"We hope that you will give our request to make these applications unavailable immediate consideration."

Research in Motion complied. "We appreciate RIM's immediate reply and urge the other smartphone makers to quickly follow suit," the senators said in a statement later on Wednesday.