‘Tis The Season… To Get a Ride Home

Fundraising season is upon us! Time to dust off those black ties and dig deep to support your favorite causes. Here in Denver, we already saw the wonderful Children’s Hospital Colorado event, and many other important organizations will be hosting their galas over the next few months.

Revelers take note! If you plan to drink, plan to get a ride home. You do NOT want a DUI. Worse, you do not want to hurt or kill someone (or yourself) on your way home.

First, some interesting facts about Uber’s impact on DUI statistics. A recent Entrepreneur article reported:

Researchers at Temple University ran an analysis and found that use of car-sharing services, and Uber in particular, led to a decrease in the number of homicides from drunken driving.

Looking at data from 2009 through 2014 in California, Brad Greenwood and Sunil Wattal of the Fox School of Business said they found that Uber’s entry into a market reduced DUI deaths, depending on the service.

Use of Uber X led to between a 3.6 percent and a 5.6 percent reduction in alcohol-related driving homicides. By noting that there are 13,000 DUI-related deaths a year, the researchers figure complete implementation of Uber X nationwide would save 500 lives annually and the economy $1.3 billion in losses.

So, if you plan to head out and have a cocktail or two, that’s fine! Be a grown-up about it and plan a way to get home that doesn’t involve you getting behind the wheel.

If “being a grown-up” doesn’t appeal to you, maybe the cost of a DUI will. According to BACTrack.com, a breathalyzer company:

Your first DUI can cost upwards of $20,000 – and more – even without property damage or anyone harmed. The Alaska Department of Motor Vehicles estimates that the total expense of an initial DUI or DWI arrest and conviction costs the equivalent of a taxi ride half-way around the world.

The purpose of financial penalties for DUI offenses is to deter drunk driving, and little wonder why. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 28 people die as a result of drunk driving crashes every day, and roughly one in three people will be involved in a drunk driving crash during their lifetimes.

Westword reported in 2012 that the average cost of a first-time DUI in Colorado is over $10,000, and that’s if you don’t hurt anyone or anything.

So, if being grown-up or being financially wrecked doesn’t grab you, think about what would happen if you hurt someone.

The Colorado Department of Transportation reports that 30,000 people are arrested each year in our state for impaired driving. Worse, more than 240 people are killed and 4,000 are seriously injured in alcohol-related crashes each year in Colorado

I know what it’s like to head out on the town to celebrate. You may tell yourself that you’ll be responsible but once that first drink hits and the moment grabs you, it’s hard to stop yourself and be the responsible one in the room.

Plan ahead. Take Uber, Lyft (similar service as Uber) or a taxi home. It could save money and lives.