Utah Department of Public Safety

Choose Your Ride: Utah DPS Partners with Uber to Remind Utahns to Choose a Safe and Sober Ride Home

PDF of the media advisory here

For Immediate Release:

Media Contact:

Marissa Villasenor, Utah Department of Public Safety

801-793-8025

mvillasenor@utah.gov

Utah DPS Partners with Uber to Remind Drivers – Choose A Safe and Sober Ride Home

Law Enforcement Working Overtime Shifts to Remove Drunk Drivers From Utah’s Roads

SALT LAKE CITY – This Labor Day weekend, the Utah Department of Public Safety is partnering with ride sharing service Uber to help encourage Utahns to choose a safe ride home. Many people will be enjoying the last weekend of summer and the start of college football season and when it’s time to head home, they’ll be faced with a choice: whether to use a safe transportation option or get behind the wheel after they’ve been drinking. Officers throughout the state will be working more than 250 overtime shifts to remove drivers who make the wrong choice and drink and drive.

 

Uber is providing a special discount code – ZEROUTAH – which will allow riders to receive a free first ride up to $15. For every new user promo code application, $5 will be donated back to Utah DUI enforcement. By making a safe choice this weekend and beyond, drivers can help us reach our goal of Zero Fatalities.

SLCPD Chief Mike Brown spoke of the increased number of officers his department would have working over the weekend.

 

At the media event, Utah Highway Patrol Colonel Rapich stated the following:

“There’s going to be a lot of police officers out. We’re going to be out there for a lot of reasons, to keep people safe.

We’ll be out there to help people, to slow people down, to encourage people to wear their seat belts.

But absolutely and most importantly, we will be out there if someone makes the decision to drink and drive.

We will be out to stop them.”

A safe ride home is just a call or click away. Uber is just one option for a safe and sober ride home.

Uber representative Dave Britton noted, “Our technology adds another choice, and allows you to get a ride at the tap of a smart phone.”

If your weekend celebrations include having a drink or two remember: if you’ve been drinking, don’t drive. Only one choice costs $10,000.

 

 

 

ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN:

The Labor Day DUI Enforcement Mobilization is part of the National Traffic Safety Administration’s 2016 Labor Day Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over high-visibility enforcement campaign, which runs from August 19 to September 5. With NHTSA’s support, state and local law enforcement agencies across the nation are stepping up enforcement to put an end to drunk driving, showing zero tolerance in an effort to save lives. Visit http://highwaysafety.utah.gov/drunkdriving/ for more information about Utah’s DUI media campaign.

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Tags: Chief Mike Brown, choose your ride, Colonel Rapich, drive sober, DUI, DUI enforcement, SLCPD, Uber, UHP