Partnership Aims to Keep Drunk Drivers in the Backseat
Date Posted:
Thu, Oct 15 2015,
NJ TV Online
Evesham Township has become the first in the nation to offer tipsy restaurant patrons a free Uber ride home.
“In order to save a life at times you got to take measures of which are not you expected,” said Evesham Township Mayor Randy Brown.
The mayor says drunk driving spiked here in 2013 and the town chose Uber over taxi cabs because it already has the technology in place. Studies have shown alcohol-related driving incidents decrease when towns have ride sharing services.
“We are always looking for ways to use our technology to better serve the communities in which we operate, and this is a prime example of how we can join forces to combat drinking and driving,” said General Manager of Uber New Jersey, Ana Mahony.
The partnership covers rides from 19 participating Evesham bars and restaurants. If town residents have had too much to drink between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. until Jan. 2, someone can pull up the Uber app, select the Evesham safe ride option and request the free ride home.
“The interest here is to have a safe environment and have your patrons have a good time at the same time. Speaking with out patrons, there’s always a fear driving home drunk. They didn’t realize that there was an option. What am I going to do? Well, take a cab. Well, sometimes a cab takes 40 minutes to get there,” said Marlton Tavern owner Georg Lavdas.
The town also has partnered with Be My Designated Driver for another free service.
“If you’re out somewhere and you realize ‘I shouldn’t be driving home,’ you call us and we take you and your car home,” said Marketing VP for Be My Designated Driver Alexa Milkovich.
Donations from local businesses – such as the mayor’s brother — underwrite the free rides.
“The $2,500 will send several hundred people home,” said Rick Brown.
The mayor and police chief say statistics from the pilot program show that there are an app, and an appetite, for the saving lives program.
350 free rides were taken in September, and eight were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Evesham had a deadly drunk driving crash in 2009. Chief Christopher Chew was a Lieutenant then and shift commander responding to the crash.
“It’s something that I’ll never forget. Our officers will never forget it, and the community still hasn’t recovered from that incident. So I know when I became chief, it was my number one priority, to protect the innocent people out there, like Sean English,” Chew said.
Restaurant patrons seem to welcome the town arranging safe rides.
“I think that is a wonderful idea, a life-saving idea,” said patron David Feldman.
Evesham Township arranging designated drivers, protecting the public from drivers who’ve been served too much to drink and drive.
“In order to save a life at times you got to take measures of which are not you expected,” said Evesham Township Mayor Randy Brown.
The mayor says drunk driving spiked here in 2013 and the town chose Uber over taxi cabs because it already has the technology in place. Studies have shown alcohol-related driving incidents decrease when towns have ride sharing services.
“We are always looking for ways to use our technology to better serve the communities in which we operate, and this is a prime example of how we can join forces to combat drinking and driving,” said General Manager of Uber New Jersey, Ana Mahony.
The partnership covers rides from 19 participating Evesham bars and restaurants. If town residents have had too much to drink between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. until Jan. 2, someone can pull up the Uber app, select the Evesham safe ride option and request the free ride home.
“The interest here is to have a safe environment and have your patrons have a good time at the same time. Speaking with out patrons, there’s always a fear driving home drunk. They didn’t realize that there was an option. What am I going to do? Well, take a cab. Well, sometimes a cab takes 40 minutes to get there,” said Marlton Tavern owner Georg Lavdas.
The town also has partnered with Be My Designated Driver for another free service.
“If you’re out somewhere and you realize ‘I shouldn’t be driving home,’ you call us and we take you and your car home,” said Marketing VP for Be My Designated Driver Alexa Milkovich.
Donations from local businesses – such as the mayor’s brother — underwrite the free rides.
“The $2,500 will send several hundred people home,” said Rick Brown.
The mayor and police chief say statistics from the pilot program show that there are an app, and an appetite, for the saving lives program.
350 free rides were taken in September, and eight were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Evesham had a deadly drunk driving crash in 2009. Chief Christopher Chew was a Lieutenant then and shift commander responding to the crash.
“It’s something that I’ll never forget. Our officers will never forget it, and the community still hasn’t recovered from that incident. So I know when I became chief, it was my number one priority, to protect the innocent people out there, like Sean English,” Chew said.
Restaurant patrons seem to welcome the town arranging safe rides.
“I think that is a wonderful idea, a life-saving idea,” said patron David Feldman.
Evesham Township arranging designated drivers, protecting the public from drivers who’ve been served too much to drink and drive.