The town of Jupiter, FL has adopted a unique program to reduce drunk driving arrests and to help prevent drunk driving accidents on major holidays. By setting aside enough money to cover Uber rides of up to $15 over New Year’s Eve, the town was able to cut drunk driving arrests to zero during the same period. The town used the same voucher program over the Fourth of July weekend a few months before.
Ilan Kaufer, a Jupiter Councilmember, was inspired to adopt the program when a college friend was badly hurt in an alcohol-related accident. Kaufer wanted to prevent the same type of accident from happening in Jupiter, so he suggested that the town adopt Uber’s voucher program.
The total cost of the program was $2463.67 for the night of New Year’s Eve, and a total of 196 vouchers were used in Jupiter out of an initial claim of more than 800. According to Kaufer, Jupiter has budgeted about $20,000 to participate in the same program on other major holidays, including St. Patrick’s Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, the Fourth of July, and Thanksgiving weekend as well as New Year’s Eve.
Uber credits the town of Jupiter with being the first municipality in Florida to take advantage of its voucher program. Both the town and the rideshare service have expressed the hope that other towns will adopt it as well. The goal is to get people in the habit of using a service such as Uber rather than driving home after a night spent celebrating.
Taking a ride home with a rideshare company is always a better idea than driving while intoxicated. Still, accidents can happen no matter who is driving. If you’ve been injured in a rideshare accident, call the experienced attorneys at Fenstersheib Law Group, P.A. to find out what your options are.
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