Some New York residents may recall that Mothers Against Drunk Drivers introduced the concept of a designated driver about three decades ago. Now, technology and new ways of thinking about transport means that there are other options available beyond having a driver along who is not drinking. Uber has positioned itself as a significant force in reducing drunk driving because it is such an easily available option.
The company released statistics showing that its entry into Atlanta coincided with a drop in drunk driving. Based on a study that looked at arrests starting three years before Uber’s 2012 arrival in the city and extending to two years past that point, arrests for drunk driving went down 32 percent.
In contrast, in the city of Austin, Uber had more than 350,000 passengers. Within three weeks of Austin’s decision to eliminate Uber and Lyft, the number of people taken into custody for drunk driving had gone up 7.5 percent from the comparable period in the preceding year.
In some cases, a person might make a decision to get behind the wheel of a car after drinking because there is no other easy option available. In other cases, a person may be accused of drunk driving, but a Breathalyzer test might be wrong or a medical condition might make a person appear drunk. The penalties for drunk driving can be severe and may range from license suspension to fines to being required to use an ignition interlock device to jail time. Drunk driving can also have a significant impact on some careers and even on a person’s education. As a result, a person who is facing DWI charges might want to work with an attorney to learn what options are available.
