By now, most people know how important it is to avoid drinking and driving. The potential consequences—injuries, fatalities, heartache, totaled vehicles, skyrocketing insurance payments, arrests, fines—are simply not worth the risks. Thankfully, technological advances such as websites and smartphone apps are making it easier for people refrain from drinking and driving by decreasing the need to get on the road after drinking.

These delivery apps make it possible for you to have alcohol delivered directly to your door. That way, you don’t have to risk putting yourself and others in danger, and you don’t have to fear being slapped with a DUI just for driving a couple of blocks. In fact, you don’t even have to leave your own home to use them.

Keep Partying Without Risking Yourself and Others

There’s no question that plenty of the alcohol-related accidents and subsequent arrests occur because someone who has already been drinking decides to get in the car to go buy more alcohol. When you’re in the middle of having a good time with some friends, the last thing you want to do is run out of alcohol. But if you do, your only choices up until now have been to end the night early (and who wants to do that?) or go buy more booze.

Unfortunately, many people choose the second option. But that’s the one that can get you into the most trouble.

These new apps seek to fix that very problem.

Of course, these apps are not just party savers. They can also come in handy for parents who want to enjoy a drink once the kids are asleep but can’t sneak out of the house, or for people who simply don’t want to leave their homes when the weather is nasty.

As with most apps available these days, there are many different options out there for you to try. Some are better than others for various reasons, but most of them work in very much the same way. All you have to do is sign up for an account, enter your address and payment info, and you’re on your way.

Each app will present you with a choice of alcohol (usually including wine, beer, liquor, and even some extras like mixers, juice, soda, and some snacks). You select the items that you want and the amount of each, and pay for them using the credit card that you entered at the beginning (including a delivery fee, if there is one, and a tip if you’re so inclined). Then kick back, relax, and wait for the drinks to be delivered to your door. Most of these services promise fair prices with no mark-ups and vow to get you your order within a certain amount of time.

But don’t think that these services are lax about drinking laws—all of them require that the buyer is at least 21 years old, which means that you absolutely have to show a valid ID upon delivery.

Here are some of the best alcohol delivery service apps we’ve found:

Drizly

• Cost: Free to install, plus a delivery fee
• Rating: 3.1 stars from the Google Play Store, 4 stars from the iOS store
• Delivery time: 20-40 minutes
• Minimum order: $20-$30

Drinkos (Drinkos is actually a website, not an app, but it works just as an app would)

• Cost: Free plus a $5 delivery fee
• Delivery time: 30-45 minutes

Saucey

• Cost: Free
• Delivery time: 20-30 minutes
• Rating: 3.2 stars from the Google Play Store, 4 stars from the iOS store
• Minimum order: None

Klink

• Cost: Free to install, plus a delivery fee of up to $3.87
• Delivery time: Less than an hour
• Rating: 4 stars from the Google Play Store, 4.5 stars from the iOS store
• Minimum order: $20-$40

Unfortunately, a lot of these apps are only available in a limited number of cities across the country. Hopefully, though, they will catch on soon and spread to additional cities in the comings months and years.

If You’ve Been Charged With A DUI

With apps and websites like this gaining popularity, one can only hope that the number of drunk driving accidents and DUI charges will continue to decrease. Unfortunately, though, even if these types of services were to become the norm, it’s unlikely that drunk driving incidents will disappear completely. For now—and in the future—the best defense against a DUI charge is still equipping yourself with a knowledgeable attorney.

If you’ve been charged with a DUI, an experienced criminal lawyer may be able to help. Contact the our law offices today to discuss your options.

About the Author:

Kimberly Diego is a criminal defense attorney in Denver practicing at The Law Office of Kimberly Diego. She obtained her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and her law degree at the University of Colorado. She was named one of Super Lawyers’ “Rising Stars of 2012” and “Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Colorado” for 2012 and 2013 by The National Trial Lawyers. Both honors are limited to a small percentage of practicing attorneys in each state.  She has also been recognized for her work in domestic violence cases.