CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) — Fifty percent of all traffic deaths on New Year’s Eve involve drunk drivers.
“So, we’re really kind of in that danger zone when it comes in respect to drunk driving,” said David Irvine with the Allen and Allen law firm.
This year, Allen and Allen is distributing Uber gift cards to restaurants in an effort to reduce that statistic.
One of the restaurants included is the Dairy Market, which will have the gift cards available to give to attendees.
“We really wanted to because we are a community place, so we wanted to help our community in any way we can,” said Eleanor Vonachen, the Market Manager of Dairy Market.
Dairy Market is expecting more than 600 people to attend the New Year’s Eve event on Saturday.
With this number of people comes a sense of responsibility to make sure everyone gets home safely.
“We want them to come out, we want them to have a good time, but it is our responsibility to make sure they have a good time safely,” added Vonachen.
According to Allen and Allen, the holidays are the most dangerous time to be on the roads in Virginia.
Data shows 13 people lost their lives and 445 were injured in alcohol-related crashes last year, and the law firm has seen its fair share of drunk driving crash victims in court cases.
Allen and Allen wants to bring those numbers down, and having something as simple as a definite ride home is helpful.
‘You know, you think about drunk driving being dangerous, it goes without saying, everybody knows that. But, that’s just the thing, it does need to be said over and over, and sort of, continuously emphasized. So because it’s something that we deal with, on behalf of our clients on a regular basis, we like to think we are in a good position to help be a small part of the solution,” added Irvine.
Allen and Allen’s mission statement is protecting the injured, so by using the Sober Ride Home program, the firm hopes to prevent future accidents.
This program is meant to protect community members and instigate conversations about the long-lasting effects of drunk driving.
“This is hopefully just one small part of the larger solution, but just as much as providing the car and providing the Uber rides, opportunities like this to get out and talk about it hopefully is a part of that as well,” said Irvine.