“Just one drink! Just one drink!” My friend tried to convince me when we were heading to her cousin’s birthday. It didn’t sound truthful from the beginning. By the end of the night, I counted at least 4 one drinks. The results were astonishingly inconvenient and even embarrassing: the car abandoned on the street overnight, an early Sunday morning trip to the other side of the city to find our wheels, and the icing on the cake: a $60 parking citation for night street cleaning.
“All that could have been easily avoided, if we had a designated driver,” she declared next day. Yes, but who should have sacrificed the fun times for driving?
Turns out no one. You actually can get home in your own car, even being a little bit buzzed. Of course, I am not talking about drunk driving. In the modern world of ever-evolving technologies and innovations, many companies across the nation offer a service called “Designated Driver”. Designated drivers work under different conditions and with slightly different rules, but the main point is the same for all of them: you call the company and the driver comes to pick you up and get you home in your own car. Therefore, you don’t need to worry about getting a ticket on your windshield, the car getting towed away, or how to get to last night’s “crime scene” to retrieve your metal darling. No worries at all–just pure deep sleep after a couple of cocktails.
The New Jersey smartphone app StearClear also provides chauffeur services. When you order a lift, your location will be recognized through your phone automatically. You just need to provide your destination address and then wait. Either: a team of two drivers come by car to pick you up. One gets behind the wheel of your vehicle, another follows you behind all the way. When you are safely delivered home, the guys get back into their car, and fly away as superheroes to save another partygoer. Or: you wait for a single driver, who comes to the agreed location by scooter, then folds it in a bag, puts it in your trunk, and drives you back home!
Wonderful, isn’t it?
If you’re not in New Jersey, don’t worry! There are many other companies and non-profit organizations in the country. For example, ZeroDUI , located in San Diego, California, works 24/7/365 days a year and claims that the price for their services is lower than the regular cab rate. You can even become a member of the program and save more money on every trip!
A wide range of driver services are offered by BeMyDD . You can check the prices online by providing your zip code, order the pick-up service in advance, and if you like the driver’s work, get the yearlong membership.
The problem of drunk driving is fought by various non-profit organizations. One of them, located in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, is called Ashlee’s Angels . The organization offers the service of designated drivers free of charge.
Search the web for more local options and let us know about your findings and designated driver service experience!
Have fun, enjoy parties, savor the time of your life, and don’t let it go bad by not choosing one of the many alternatives to drinking and driving! Nothing, even mighty and magical traffic school can correct alcohol-impaired mistakes.