Share Ride Benefits

Making Our Roads Safer—For Everyone

January 27, 2015 Posted by Michael 

Nearly 300,000 people drive drunk every single day. That’s enough to fill the University of Phoenix Stadium more than four times over. That’s a stark reminder that the Big Game consistently ranks as one of the most dangerous times of year for drunk-driving deaths.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. A new report conducted in partnership with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) reveals that when empowered with more transportation options like Uber or Lyft, people are making better choices that save lives.

Here are the key takeaways from the report: More Options. Shifting Mindsets. Driving Better Choices:

In California, Uber’s home state and largest market, drunk-driving crashes fell by 60 per month among drivers under 30 in the markets where Uber operates following the launch of uberX. That’s an estimated total of 1,800 crashes prevented since July 2012.

78% of all respondents to a survey agreed that friends are less likely to drive drunk since the arrival of ridesharing services like Uber or Lyft to their city.

Nearly everyone surveyed — 93% — would recommend their friends take Uber or Lyft instead of driving if they’d been drinking alcohol.

The new report found ridesharing is having a significant impact across America’s cities, providing people with smarter alternatives to getting behind the wheel if their plans include alcohol. In Miami, Uber ridership is peaking at the same hour that historically has been the worst for drunk driving. In Pittsburgh, demand for Uber spikes at closing time for bars. In Chicago, three-fourths of Uber trips on New Year’s Eve were requested within ⅛ mile of establishments with liquor licenses.

Uber and MADD are working toward a world where a safe ride is always within reach and where drunk-driving is a thing of the past.

While we’ve still got a lot of work to do, we’re making progress together toward the goal of reliable rides and safer roads for everyone. The results in California echo similar good news out of Seattle, where we found the arrival of Uber helped reduce drunk-driving arrests by 10%.