Imagine feeling safer at every bar you walk into, knowing some pervert can’t slip you an undetected date rape drug. 

Soon a seemingly simple plastic cup and straw design will revolutionize the bar scene and hopefully help reduce the number of sexual assaults involving alcohol. The Center for Women and Families’ statistics show 90 percent of rapes on college campuses involve alcohol.

Granted, people should all know better than to accept drinks from strangers if we didn’t see the bartender make it. However, people should also all know better that it’s not always that simple.

Each year, millions of women and men pour into bars dressed up and ready to drink with plenty of people ready to wine and dine them. Unfortunately, the dreamy smile from a stranger at the other end of the bar could end up being a nightmare.

DrinkSavvy is a company aimed at reducing the rape of unsuspecting people drinking drugged cocktails. Founder Mike Abramson said in his website, the No. 1 mission of his company is to eliminate this crime from ever being possible.

By implementing the use of DrinkSavvy cups and straws into every bar, Abramson could see his company’s mission accomplished.

It’s a sad fact, there are some sick people in the world we can’t prevent from hiding in the normal crowds of society, but we can attempt to eliminate their ability to affect us. 

DrinkSavvy is the sole company with this patent pending technology. It is capable of constantly monitoring bar patrons drinks discretely and effortlessly by giving a signal of red lines when an invisible drug is detected.

I know how to be careful – I was raised by the king of protective dads. This doesn’t change the fact that I’m not perfect and some people are just bigger, stronger and smarter. 

Dropping date-rape drugs into drinks is not an act targeted at a specific group of people, anyone can be susceptible to this where no one can really tell when an odorless, colorless and tasteless drug is dissolved into their drink.

Knowing one day I will go out to a bar with some friends and not have to spend my entire night with my eyes glued to the rim of my glass is an amazing thought. We can breathe easy and maybe even let that person across the bar buy us a drink. Because hey, if red lines show up on the cup, it’s ass kicking time. 

On the flip side, no new product is flawless or foolproof. Yes, these cups and straws could do a lot of good for the bar scene, but let’s think broader. 

Realistically, no one is going to bring their own cup to a party or a club, we just use what’s available. So if you’re in a bar that doesn’t carry this product, you better think of a new strategy.

There’s also questions about it’s usefulness: Are they reusable? Will the bartender let you bring in your own cup? How long before they wear out? What is the cost to have these readily available at drinking establishments?  

Jessica Heskin, violence and sexual assault advocate for Student Health and Counseling Services, commented on this patent pending technology.

“We have to remember that most sexual assaults are facilitated by alcohol alone, and this product won’t do anything to help with that,” Heskin said. “This will not be 100 percent effective.  There are many different drugs used to facilitate crimes – ecstasy being one – and there are prescription drugs besides Rohypnol.”

These cups, while a wonderful concept, may create a false sense of security for people. If we knew our cups will show red lines when drugs are detected, we might be a little less cautious about watching our drink and the people around us. 

Going to a party and saying you feel safe because you “know everyone there” is about as foolproof as a cement lifejacket. 73 percent of rapes are committed by someone the victim knows, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. 

“Most predatory druggings in association with sexual assault are by someone you know, not a stranger,” Heskin said. “Also, I have not seen the independent lab tests to see if the product is effective.  For example, when they first came out with napkins that test for these three drugs, independent lab tests showed that sometimes the test failed depending on the type of drink.”

We should always have other safety nets and strategies like going out in pairs, having someone watch out for you, watching out for predators and most importantly, speaking up if you see someone spike a drink. 

“I have worked with victims who have been drugged and it is tragic. I really feel for them, and all victims of sexual violence,” Heskin said. “I just worry people will rely solely on the drug testing product. Because even if you detect the drug in the drink before drinking it, you don’t necessarily know who put it in there and that person is still walking around. And, let’s always remember, ultimately it is the perpetrators’ fault, not the victims’.”

DrinkSavvy’s cups and straws will be ready for public distribution around early to middle of 2014.