The Office of Highway Safety launched a new campaign to cut down on drunk driving. (Photo from My Sober Rides)
With the holidays coming up, a state agency is launching a new campaign to crack down on driving under the influence to improve roadway safety this season.
The Delaware Office of Highway Safety is introducing Sober Rides, providing vouchers of up to $20 from partners Lyft and Uber during designated times:
Thanksgiving: Wednesday, Nov. 27, at 5 p.m. through Thursday, Nov. 28, at 2 a.m.
New Year’s Eve: Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. through Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025 at 2 a.m.
Delawareans anywhere in the state simply scan a QR code – which links to mysoberrides.com – found on campaign posters, table tents, flyers, and other materials.
Once a user is on the website, they can click to have the voucher directly deposited into their preferred ride-sharing app to be used for a safe ride during the designated times.
Participating bars, restaurants, wineries, breweries, liquor stores, car dealerships, beverage distributors, and insurance agencies statewide will be displaying Sober Rides materials.
“Breakthru Beverage proudly supports many important community-focused programs across our national footprint and here in Delaware,” said Tim Daning, executive VP of Breakthru Beverage Delaware. “The Sober Rides initiative serves a vital role in Delaware, and we are committed to supporting safety and responsibility programs such as this. We encourage everyone celebrating this season to take advantage of this program.”
Street teams will also engage Delaware patrons at several bars the weekend before Thanksgiving.
From 2019 to 2023, the First State had 331 DUI-related crashes that resulted in fatalities or serious injury.
On top of people drinking to celebrate the holidays, there’s also an increased presence of traffic and pedestrians on roadways which boosts the risk of an accident.
Even when walking, pedestrians should avoid distractions and sober up before walking along roadways.
“If you are planning on consuming alcohol or any other substances during holiday celebrations, make sure to plan a ride home,” the office said in a statement.
Unfortunately, what should be one of the happiest times of the year for Delawareans can quickly turn into a tragic time, said Sharon Bryson, director of the Delaware Office of Highway Safety, in a statement.
OHS is grateful to have community partners including law enforcement, financial sponsors, and local businesses and organizations that are helping us spread our message, she said.
“Their support allows us to combine and expand these two impactful campaigns,” she said. “We are especially excited to announce that we now have partnerships with the two largest rideshare services, Lyft and Uber, for our Sober Rides initiative. By making resources like these more accessible, we can do more to ensure that Delawareans arrive alive this holiday season.”
First Staters can also take advantage of another initiative called Safe Family Holiday, which encourages best practices around four key road safety issues: DUI/DUID, speeding, occupant protection/distracted driving, and pedestrian activities.
Street teams will attend two events in each county for the Safe Family Holiday campaign, with safe driving trivia, fun and shareable photo opportunities, and other activities that promote safe driving and pedestrian tips.
The messaging will be tailored to specific communities, with the entire campaign covering four key roadway safety issues.
Communications will be concentrated around times that typically see higher incidents for each issue:
Driving under the influence – Nov. 27 through Jan. 25
Occupant protection/distracted driving – Nov. 16 through Jan. 1
Pedestrian Safety – Nov. 17 through Dec. 30
Speeding – Dec. 13 through Dec. 30
This extended and integrated marketing and communications strategy embraces multiple elements of roadway safety. “Love Your Neighbor” branding and messaging is being continued through Sober Rides and Safe Family Holiday, providing cohesiveness for those initiatives.
“The Delaware Restaurant Association and our members take responsible alcohol service very seriously, and the safety of our guests and coworkers is always a top priority,” said Karen Stauffer, senior director of communications and strategy at the Delaware Restaurant Association. “We’ve partnered with the Office of Highway Safety for years, offering alcohol training and education refresher classes in an effort to keep our roadways and communities safe.”
This new sober ride initiative, she said, is a great program that will go a long way to keep Delawareans safe during times when we know people will be out celebrating.
“Partnering with restaurants is a great way to engage the community and ensure people are aware of these opportunities, and take advantage of these free ride programs,” she said.
Raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Jarek earned a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in political science from Temple University in 2021. After running CNN’s Michael Smerconish’s YouTube channel, Jarek became a reporter for the Bucks County Herald before joining Delaware LIVE News.
