Designated Drivers Inc. offering free holiday rides

Fireworks, barbecues, hot dogs, parades ... and a nice cold beer. There's nothing like a celebration on the Fourth of July.

Too much celebration can also impair judgment, so Designated Drivers is offering its services for free to make sure those who like to party get home safely on the Fourth of July.

"Our goal is to save a life every day," said Billie Smith, president and chief executive officer of Designated Drivers. "We hope to make the Fourth of July accident-free."

The service normally charges $40 but the bill is already taken care of for the holiday. Stop DUI, a local organization which combats drunken driving, is underwriting the rides.

Statewide, the drunken driving rate is 5 percent above the national average. In 1999, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department made 2,648 driving under the influence arrests and the Nevada Highway Patrol made 3,866, according to reports put out by the Office of Traffic Safety. The average blood alcohol content was .16.

For the last quarter of 2000 (October-December), Las Vegas police made a total of 586 DUI arrests in Clark County, a 51.8 percent increase over the last quarter of 1999.

The police department usually has sobriety checks at various locations on holidays, but could supply no specific plans for the Fourth of July.

Designated Drivers employs about 80 people. All drivers work part-time and are licensed and insured. They work in two-person teams, one driving the person's car home and the other following. The second driver then takes his or her co-worker back. Tips are "greatly appreciated."

The service is available year-round providing rides for those who may have spent too much time at the bar or when people have outpatient medical procedures and cannot drive. On any given day, the company may receive five phone calls or it may get 15. In a town like Las Vegas, there is no way to predict it. They do, however, try to make their response time 30 minutes or less.

Sandy Heverly, executive director of Stop DUI, said there's also no way to tell how many people will take advantage of the free Designated Drivers service.

"It's difficult to tell because the holiday falls in the middle of the week," she said. "If it fell on a Friday or Saturday, it'd be a much different ball game."

In Clark County, police recorded 91 fatal crashes in 2000. In 18 of them, alcohol was determined to be a contributing factor. Those 91 crashes resulted in 100 fatalities.

Heverly called the free Designated Driver service a lifesaving program, but said it was impossible to realize its full impact.

"We can't measure a positive," she said. "We'll never really know how many lives are saved by this."

The funds for Designated Drivers comes from a variety of sources. A large portion comes from the Victim Impact Panel, which convicted drunken drivers are required to attend. Stop DUI also gets donations. A few weeks ago, Crockett & Meyers, 700 S. Third St., gave the organization $5,000. The attorney group has been a regular contributor since 1983.

"(Getting a free ride) is an incentive," Heverly said. "It eliminates all excuses. Why would anybody risk getting a DUI ticket when they and their car can be transported home safely?"

Stop DUI can be reached at 456-STOP (7867). After the holiday, Designated Drivers can be reached at 456--RIDE (7433).