Uber, an American taxi app service that offers low fares, will provide free rides for drinkers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to better ensure traffic safety.

The announcement was made at the launch of a breathalyzer kiosk named UberSafe, which was organized by the National Traffic Safety Committee and Uber Vietnam on Thursday, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Vietnam is the second country, besides Canada, to experience the UberSafe technology which can accurately measure the alcohol content in a user’s blood.

If the alcohol level is higher than the designated limit, the machine will automatically request a free ride home for the user.

The breathalyzer kiosk is part of Uber’s campaign to help improve Vietnam’s traffic safety, the news agency quoted Uber Vietnam’s director Dang Viet Dung as saying.

Around 30 kiosks are expected to be erected around restaurants and beer clubs in the capital and the southern city, he added.

Uber hopes to increase people’s awareness of the consequences of driving with excessive blood alcohol level and responsibility more generally when consuming alcoholic beverages, the company director said.

Overindulgence in alcohol has become part of many Vietnamese’s lifestyle, posing serious health risks and causing accidents that affect the lives of the consumers as well as the rest of the community, Khuat Viet Hung, vice chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee was quoted by the Vietnam News Agency as saying.

The committee fully supports Uber’s campaign as it is creative, innovative and will contribute to a safer Vietnamese community, the vice chairman said.

Uber, which is a mobile app that allows consumers with smartphones to submit a trip request routed to Uber drivers who use their own cars, is devepoled by Uber Technologies Incorporated based in San Francisco.

The service is now available in 58 countries and 300 cities worldwide.

The American app first appeared in Ho Chi Minh City in June 2014, offering services with low fares and great convenience with only a few swipes on the client's smartphone.

It originally met with doubt and protest from taxi operators, relevant agencies and clients in the city regarding its legitimacy, competitiveness and clients’ safety.

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