No More Excuses to Drink & Drive
You may have heard of the popular ride-sharing service called 
Uber. Some see the App-driving ride-sharing service and similar companies – Sidecare and Lyft – as a drunk driving solution, including Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).
Uber and Mothers Against Drunk Driving released a study
in January 2015, and found, nearly 4 in 5 respondents said friends were less likely to drive themselves home after drinking thanks to ride-sharing apps. And 57% of transportation app users 21 and older said they would “probably end up driving more after drinking at a bar or restaurant” if ride-sharing options didn’t exist.
MADD president Colleen Sheehey-Church, whose teen son died at the hands of a driver with alcohol and drugs in her system said, “With so many reliable and accessible options at people’s fingertips, there are no more excuses to drink and drive.” She added, “For any way to get the word out about options is welcome. We’re aiming for a future with no more victims.”
Now a new study from researchers at Philadelphia’s Temple University suggests that the entry of Uber’s low-cost ride service, Uber X, into 14 California counties led to a 3.6 to 5.6 percent decline in drunken driving deaths.
Tampa, Florida is also looking into whether Uber deserves some credit for the drop in their DUI arrests. Natasha Thomas, the program director for the Bay Area chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving said, “We definitely do believe that Uber, or any other ride-sharing company, has helped us in our fight against drunk driving,” she says. “They offer reliable, right-to-the-minute services to help people get home safe instead of getting behind their wheels intoxicated.”
While the research shows promise, new laws and continued law enforcement are still needed in the fight against drunk driving.
