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Free Rides with Sober Drivers Offered by CDOT

AVOID DUI ACCIDENTS

El Comercio de Colorado Newsroom

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The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Uber provide a $15 voucher for travel during this holiday season. The objective of this initiative is to reduce driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. The campaign is part of a grant that CDOT received from the Governor’s Highway Safety Administration to help decrease the rate of driving under the influence.

This discount is available to Colorado residents and can be used until January 3, 2022. Those interested must use the code “Holidaysafe” in the promotions section of the Uber app. Travel vouchers are limited to two uses per person and must be redeemed between 5 p.m. and 5 a.m. Discounts will only be valid while supplies last. Currently there is a fund of 10 thousand dollars to attend to the requests of interested parties.

While anyone can use the safe travel discount, CDOT is aiming this offer particularly to people hosting guests during this holiday period. Customers who plan to celebrate during this time have the opportunity to receive a voucher to travel with Uber. “Holidays are meant to be celebrated. We want people to enjoy themselves,” said Darrell Lingk of CDOT.

Deaths and Arrests

Throughout 2021, 220 people died from driving under the influence in Colorado. This figure represents 36 percent of traffic-related deaths so far this year. If the current trend continues, 2021 will be the year with the highest number of deaths on Colorado’s roads since 2004. DUI’s have increased 15 percent since last year.

Each year in Colorado, more than 20,000 people are arrested for driving under the influence, meaning that an average of 54 arrests are made each day. An increasing number of arrests for driving under the influence are the result of a combination of alcohol and cannabis or other drugs. This is a dangerous combination that significantly impairs driving abilities.