
Idea to prevent drinking and driving - freeride
Hopefully this is the right place to post this. If not please let me know a better place.<p>I have been working on a concept&#x2F;potential idea to help prevent drinking and driving in my county, Harford County, MD (and potentially elsewhere). I&#x27;m currently looking for feedback to see if the idea could gain traction and if it would be used. I am sure there are things I need to clarify on it and possibly change. My goal is to submit it to the county government after I get some statistics from the survey and feedback from here. Please let me know what you guys think of it!<p>http:&#x2F;&#x2F;freeridemd.com
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Gustomaximus
I suspect people would be hesitant to let drunks in their car as drunks tend
to throw-up. I'd twist this idea to something that is not uncommon in
Australia. Often popular late opening bars have mini-buses that drive people
home in the last hours or so until closing. Could you pool a few bars to fund
(or local council funded) to do a booze bus that does this. Possibly have
volunteer drivers but if a few bars chip in you could split costs to keep this
low. Possibly have local council allow bars that contribute to this stay open
an hour later type deal to incentive funding.

Another problem is people don't like leaving their cars to get the next day.
In Sydney we have/had a service where small scooters come and drive you home
in your own car (the scooter fits in the car boot):
[http://www.scooterangels.com.au/](http://www.scooterangels.com.au/) It might
be easier to get volunteers for this as you're not putting drunks in your own
car + people get their car in the morning. Lie above you might be able to get
some bars/council to fund if you want this to be free.

In general I'd expect self driving cars to fix this issue over the next 10
years or so.

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freeride
Getting a 'FreeRide' vehicle would definitely be on the todo list and that
would all come down to funding. I do hope to receive funding from
bars/restaurants as well, however I don't want to require it. It is a great
idea and something I will be considering as I determine the best location for
the trial run!

I hopefully addressed the overnight car issue with my recent update. I have
heard some places around here (Ocean City, MD) use the scooter idea, but it
might be a little troublesome in rural areas where the travel distance is
greater.

I can't wait for automated cars to be on the roads. Less accidents, less
traffic, no parking issues, etc. The future is going to be great!

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byoung2
When you expand...In big cities, you'll need to get the drinker's car home. In
Los Angeles, parking costs and fines will dwarf the cost of a taxi home and
back in the morning if you leave your car. If you park on the street, you also
run the risk of being towed if your meter expires or there is no overnight
parking.

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freeride
This is exactly what I am looking for with feedback! Originally this was meant
for a rural area where parking isn't usually an issue. However, my first
thought to tackle this problem would be to actually have two drivers who ride
together. If this situation comes up, the 2nd driver could drive their car
home for a fee. This could help fund some of the costs as well. Lastly, this
could help keep everyone safer and prevent some of the issues that arose with
Uber.

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deadowl
Really good way to prevent drunk driving:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignition_interlock_device](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignition_interlock_device)

I've also seen breathalyzers in some bars where you can check your BAC before
going anywhere.

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freeride
I agree with this, however one issue is the cost of the interlock. It is about
80 bucks a month from what I can tell. Usually, the only people that I am
aware of with the interlock are people that are receiving punishment. I hope
to prevent someone getting into that situation to begin with! : )

I think the breathalyzers in the bars is great!

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navd
It sounds like an idea everyone would love in place however the major issue I
see is the funding section. I don't think it's fair to expect the dui offender
to drop a deposit and be expected to pay for all gas and expenses. Do you know
how expensive getting a dui is already?

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freeride
I guess what I was going for was more of an option rather than a requirement.
For instance, if a person who has been vetted by a professional and doesn't
have an issue, they could do this instead of the interlock. The hope is that
rather than helping one person not drink and drive, it would help many people
not drink and drive. I agree that it sounds expensive. I am hoping to figure
out other ways to receive funding.

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byoung2
Also interesting: [http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/08/06/uber-
actual...](http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/08/06/uber-actually-
reduces-drunk-driving-deaths.html)

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freeride
That is a great article! Just imagine how many more people would choose not to
drive if it were free! At least that is my hope!

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freeride
I've updated the proposal to address a few of the comments so far! I
appreciate all the feedback!

