The debate over whether sobriety checkpoints should be used to get impaired drivers off the road continues to heat up across the country. Now a new measure in addition to these checkpoints has come up on our radar in recent months. This new debate is over assessing DUI/DWI defendants to determine if these defendants have a drug or alcohol dependence. The idea is to get defendants treatment for dependence thereby reducing the chance they will reoffend.

From the perspective of the National Council of the Prevention of Impaired Driving we have seen the entire country embroiled over similar debates on how to stop the impaired driving epidemic that affects us all. Our approach is a pro-active one, designed to prevent impaired driving before it happens.

The first thing that we must recognize is that accepting treatment must come from within the person that needs the treatment. Performing a criminal background history and urine screen, then forcing someone into treatment to potentially increase the chances of effective treatment seems abstract from our perspective. The goal of public safety does not mandate public treatment.

Anecdotal evidence shows that people drink and drive for two main reasons; dependence is not a primary factor:

People do not want to leave their car behind and it is too expensive and inconvenient to take a taxi, which in many cases is impractical or unavailable. Most people want to keep their car with them, and the inconvenience and liability of leaving their car in a bar or restaurant parking lot, combined with the inconvenience and expense of retrieving it the following morning, simply makes the temptation to drive in an impaired state too great for many people. The less alcohol people perceive that they have consumed may make this decision even more challenging, and increase the likelihood that they will, in fact, drive impaired.  "I've only had a few drinks" becomes a logical rationalization for the individual to drive while impaired. 

The designated driver concept, though important, has had little to no effect on reducing impaired driving incidents overall. Why? It is impractical in many situations. People are spontaneous. Designated drivers are not. We do not believe that most people consciously plan to drive impaired. We do, however; believe that given a realistic option, people are willing to plan to get home safe without driving impaired.

For these reasons, the NCPID has focused on developing a non-profit social enterprise called SafeRide America over the last 8 years. This program offers three distinct public services giving people access to viable options to driving impaired.

Our flagship service is called the SafeRide Service. It is a professional, well insured, driver-for-hire service that offers to drive people and their cars for them for less than taxi cab fare, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Since we are mission-based, we are able to extend our "pay us later" policy to anyone that cannot afford the service upfront. This "pay us later" policy eliminates cost as an excuse to drive impaired.  In most situations,  money is not actually a determining factor for impaired driving; keeping the car with the primary driver is.

The way SafeRide Service works is that all of our thoroughly pre-screened drivers work in teams of two people in one car. When requested, one driver will drive an impaired person's car for them while the other driver follows behind as a chase car driver.  SafeRide drivers must have a clean driving record, and pass a background check and pre-employment drug screen along with random, ongoing drug screen testing.

To help enable people to be responsible and choose not to drive impaired, we accept advance reservations on-line and over the phone. To address the issues that people are not always sure when they want to be picked up or if they will even need the service, a FLEX-reservation is available that allows a person to book a two hour window of time for pick-up. To engage the reservation they must call an hour before they want to be picked up. There is no fee for changing the reservation, canceling or not calling.

This FLEX-reservation system encourages responsible behavior in people, making it easy for them to plan in-advance of alcohol consumption to ensure they get home safely with their car. We have learned that at 5PM, when someone decides to go somewhere to have drinks, they are typically unsure of when they will be ready to go. We have found that the majority of people understand that drinking leads to less responsible decision making. We find that most people want to be safe and responsible, but once they start drinking, rational and logical decision making is unlikely. The FLEX-reservation is a necessary and viable option for people that want to plan in advance to not drive while impaired. 

The cost of SafeRide Service includes a pick-up fee and a charge of $2 per mile plus driver tip. Members pay a $10 pick-up fee. Non-members at sponsoring locations and events pay a $15 pick-up fee. Non-members at non-sponsors pay a $20 Pick-up fee.

The cost to become a member for one year is your age in dollars (30 years old = $30). In addition to half off the pick-up fee, members receive a free SafeRide home on their birthday.

The cost for an on-premise server of alcohol to become a sponsoring location runs a low as $60 a year. Potential sponsors are given three sponsorship levels from which to choose with specific benefits at each level. The goal of the low cost sponsorship is to encourage 100% participation of establishments serving alcohol.  We offer other corporate sponsorship opportunities to non-alcohol related businesses as well.

We also address medical impairment during the daytime. Our services are utilized by doctors and dentist offices to assist patients home safely with their car from outpatient procedures.  We have one client that has vertigo who will call for service if she has symptoms while driving. Medical personnel also use SafeRide Service after working a 24-30 hour shift to avoid sleep impairment. We often have police officers call us to drive a person and their car home for them so they can avoid arrest or related issues.

In addition, we also rent drivers by the hour through our SafeChauffeur Service.  Dedicated teams of drivers are provided for private events and parties through our SafeParty Service. The earned income generated through our social enterprise business model makes this proactive approach a financially self-sustaining one.  This allows us to make funds available to those that reach out and ask for our help.  

Those of us involved with developing and growing the SafeRide America program are often asked by people that personally know us: "Why do you do this?". 

They ask because it is a non-profit.

Everyone agrees that it is an awesome idea, yet, everyone seems curious as to why we do it. I mean face it, when someone owns a company and it succeeds, they make a very good living usually.  As a non-profit no one individual owns NCPID and SafeRide America.  There are no shares of stock, no dividends, in fact no profit.  It belongs to the people...it belongs to everyone.

Starting a grass roots non-profit has proven to be one of the toughest challenges we have ever faced.  To date we have not yet received any large donations, but we have gotten by. We operate on a very small budget and are forced to maximize every dollar we take in. I know, I know...sob, sob, sob.

As my sister would say: "Quit having a pity party!"

It has always been our belief that one day someone that can afford to will see the value in making a large contribution to NCPID and SafeRide America allowing us to acquire the tools, technology and staff to take the SafeRide America program nationally.  That they will see the difference they can make in this world by saving lives through SafeRide America. We continue to hope.

My purpose in writing this particular Blog is to say thank you and to help those of you interested in why we do what we do understand why we do it.

First, thank you to all of those involved with SafeRide America and NCPID.  Though it is a short list at the moment, it is growing and they all deserve a big thank you.

Thank you to our drivers. Without you, SafeRide would not exist. You are the ones providing a way for people to be responsible for their actions. A way they can get safely home. Because of you, lives are being saved.

Thank you to our volunteers. Without you, we could not have made it this far. You have helped keep the dream alive and you continue to sacrifice your time, money and effort for others. You are heroes.

Thank you to our sponsors. You provide us the financial resources we so desperately need. You are the reason we are able to provide the SafeRide Service for less than a cab and for free when people really need the help. Your support over the years has made a huge impact in helping save lives. You keep our doors open and give us the ability to keep pushing forward.

Thank you to our donors. We cherish every penny. The money you have so graciously given us has taken us to new heights. Because of you we are now able to provide more than 400 SafeRides a month. The social impact you have made through your giving is extraordinary. You have given us the tools we so desperately need. Your efforts demonstrate the feeling you have that every life is precious and NCPID is so very thankful for your generosity.

Thank you to our members and regular users of the SafeRide Service. Thank you for making responsible decisions. Thank you for calling on us when you need us. Thank you for making the right choice and the best decision. Please know that your life is precious to us and that we are here when you need us most.

Lastly, thank you to the staff of NCPID and SafeRide America. You are all heroes and champions for the cause. You are the ambassadors making it all possible. Without you, SafeRide is only a dream. You make a reality. THANK YOU!

I think the poem below sums up the reason of our existence and why we all do what we do here at NCPID and SafeRide America.

BUILDING

An old man traveling a lone highway,

Came at the evening cold and gray,

To a chasm vast and deep and wide.

The old man crossed in the twilight dim,

For the sullen stream had no fear for him,

But he turned when safe on the other side,

And builded a bridge to span the tide.

"Old man," cried a fellow pilgram near,

"You're wasting your time in building here.

Your journey will end with the closing day;

You never again will pass this way.

You have crossed the chasm deep and wide,

Why build you this bridge at even-tide?"

The builder lifted his old gray head:

"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,

"There followeth after me today

A youth whose feet must pass this way,

This stream which has been as naught to me,

To that fair-haired youth may pitfall be.

He, too, must cross in the twilight dim:

Good friend, I am building that bridge for him."

Ok, can we all agree on this statement and that it is a problem: People will always drink and drive.

Great, I'm glad we agree. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's look at what is being done to solve the problem.

This won't take long. I can sum it up in one word:  JAIL

Putting more and more people in jail for DWI/DUI seems to be the most widely acceptable solution to solving the impaired driving epidemic. I disagree.

In and of itself, this is not a solution. Maybe it is part of the solution, but the problem clearly still exists.

It did not stop the person from drinking and driving in the first place. Maybe it will in the future for this one particular individual, but it did not stop it from occurring the first time. There is someone else driving drunk right around the corner. They know they could get a DWI yet they still get in the car and drive while impaired. 

Why?

It's just not realistic to think we can catch all of them and it's unreasonable to think that putting everyone in jail for driving impaired is even remotely possible. Yet society continues to use this as the most effective method for stopping impaired driving.

Why?

We do the same thing over and over again expecting different results. It's insane!

I agree that, for some, a DWI/DUI is a deterrent. But it has been proven over many years that it is not an effective deterrent. The numbers prove it. If it worked, why wouldn't the number of DWI incidents decrease? They're not … it's not working. We are not seeing different results.

It is obvious that society needs new tools to help stop it. We need to make an attempt to stop it before it can happen. Now I know it's not possible to stop it completely. Even prohibition couldn't stop it so we know we do not want to revisit those days.

Let's look at some facts.

NHTSA (National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration) estimates that in 2003 more than 17,000 people died in "alcohol related" crashes. More than 500,000 people were injured in "alcohol related" accidents.

Boy this jail idea is really paying off isn't it?

In 2004, approximately 1.4 million people were arrested for DUI/DWI.

Again, this jail idea is really working great! It's…….. BRILLIANT!

I say people need more options available to them so they do not feel compelled to drink and drive. I strongly believe that we are losing the war on drunk driving because we are too focused on putting people in jail. We are not addressing this issue head on. We are simply sitting back, waiting on the problem to occur only to then punish those responsible…after the fact. Society is not being proactive in resolving the issue.

We just punish those that commit the crime. We don't even try to stop the crime from occurring in the first place. Ridiculous!

We put the burden on local police authorities to solve the problem…like they can stop it.  They do the best that they can, but they will never be able to solve it on their own.

NHTSA even gives our fine local authorities a list of guidelines to help them in assessing DUI symptoms; a list of indications that a driver is over the legal limit. This list is widely used to train police officers to detect drunk drivers (the numbers to the right indicate the chance out of 100 that you are impaired):

Turning with wide radius 65

Straddling center or lane marker 65

Appearing to be drunk 60

Almost striking object or vehicle 60

Weaving 60

Driving on other than designated roadway 55

Swerving 55

Slow speed (more than 10mph below limit) 50

Stopping (without cause) in traffic lane 50

Drifting 50

Following too closely 45

Tires on center or land marker 45

Braking erratically 45

Driving into opposing or crossing traffic 45

Signaling inconsistent with driving actions 40

Stopping inappropriately (other than in lane)35

Turning abruptly or illegally 35

Accelerating or decelerating rapidly 30

Headlights off 30

For many years now our laws attempting to prevent drinking and driving have gotten tougher. The allowed "legal limit" for BAC continues to get less and less.  It is currently .08% and from the looks of it, MADD wants to get it down even lower. They are pushing for .05% in many states now.

Desperation is setting in. Our court system is less tolerant of first time DUI offenders than ever before. Jail sentences are getting increasingly more severe. The methods being used to stop impaired driving are flawed.

Texas is a great example of this:

Just recently, a 56-year-old Fort Worth man was sentenced to 99 years in prison on his eighth conviction on a DWI charge. I repeat: his 8th conviction. Obviously the first 7 did not deter this individual. 

While I think 8 DWI's is beyond ridiculous and a sure sign this man has a real drinking problem, why do the courts find it necessary to make this man die in jail for driving under the influence? If you don't think this a desperate act by the courts I'll give you some more examples.

Troy McKinney of Houston, one of the premier DUI attorneys in the country, recently made an Open Records Act demand on the Texas Department of Criminal Justice:  How many Texans are serving sentences of 60 years to life in prison for drunk driving?  

Notice this demand is just for those convicted of drunk driving.  It does not include DWI's resulting in injury or death. Just drunk driving (over .08%).

Here's what the letter from the Department said:

     21 to 25 years    125
     26 to 30 years      39
     31 to 40 years      55
     41 to 59 years      16

     60 to 98 years      23
     99 years                6
     Life                     13

Total = 277 people in TX serving sentences longer than 20 years for DWI.

And that's just in one state.

Remember, these sentences do not include DWI causing death or injury…just for drunk driving over .08%.  It is important to not however that these sentences were for those having at least 3 previous DWI's. Again, it is obvious that their previous DWI convictions were not strong deterrents for these individuals.

This is happening in every state. Yet….still…one person dies every 30 seconds in an impaired driving crash. Can you say INSANITY!

Now people, if you have gotten 3 DWI's…..YOU HAVE A PROBLEM. You should probably make a call to Alcoholics Anonymous and get some help. You may have a genetically-predisposed disease and should really get some much needed help.

Alcoholism is a disease and treatment is available. When you get strep-throat you go to the doctor to get antibiotics to treat the disease don't you? C'mon, do what needs to be done…get some help.

Really though, some of the people that go to jail on DWI convictions really do not belong there.

Let's look at a common situation. You go on a date. You eat a wonderful meal having two glasses of wine at a restaurant and it's time to pay your bill and head out. You down the last bit of wine in your glass as you stand to go to the car.

Five minutes later, you're stopped for swerving because you were having an intimate conversation with your date and took your eyes off the road for less than a second just to say "I love you too".

The officer approaches. Smells the wine still on your breath and asks you to step out of the vehicle. Next thing you know….you're taking a breathalyzer, put in the back of his patrol car and head to the police station.

You're sitting back there thinking to yourself; "I only had two glasses of wine with dinner". You don't feel any effects from the wine. Why are you being arrested for DWI? How could you blow .09%? What just happened?

What just happened is called "absorptive stage analysis". The breathalyzer just took your breath sample while your body was still absorbing the alcohol from that last swallow of wine you had at the dinner table.

Your body continues to absorb this alcohol for about an hour after your last drink. The alcohol is passing from your stomach and intestine into your blood and your body has not yet reached "equilibrium".  In other words, the alcohol is not yet evenly distributed throughout your body. Because you just finished your wine, the alcohol is concentrated in your blood stream.

Your lungs are being constantly bathed by your blood and the alcohol diffuses into the air within your lungs. Any testing during this stage of absorption will result in falsely high blood-alcohol readings. You just breathed this air into the breathalyzer mouthpiece and you registered drunk.

Busted………..Desperation!

This just doesn't seem right does it? Even experts in forensic toxicology admit:

"Breath is not a reliable means of estimating a subject's BAC (blood alcohol concentration)...There is a significant likelihood that a given subject will be in the absorptive state when tasted under field conditions. Because of large differences in arterial BAC and venous BAC during absorption, breath tests consistently overestimate the result that would be obtained from a blood test -- by as much as 100% or more." Simpson, "Accuracy and Precision of Breath Alcohol Measurements for Subjects in the Absorptive State", 33(6) Clinical Chemistry" 753.

This means that if you take a breath test within about an hour of your last drink, you will have a false positive for drunk driving. It could be twice as high as your true blood-alcohol level.

YOU GO TO JAIL!

The point to all of this is it doesn't matter if you had only two glasses of wine at dinner or you have been drinking all day. Due to the desperate attempts to stop impaired driving, we are all treated the same when it comes to drinking and driving. If you get pulled over in either case, you are going to jail.

Don't blame the police. They are only doing the job we have asked them to do.

Society and therefore the courts have become so desperate that people are dying in jail because they drove while impaired. If society wants that…then so be it, but it is still not going to solve the problem.

We're desperate because we are focusing on only part of the solution.

It's up to each one of us to be responsible for our own actions.

By being responsible for our own actions, we can stop these desperate attempts by others to solve the impaired driving problem. We can solve it ourselves.  Their attempts are not working. It's up to you as an individual to stop it. You do have options. Be wise about it and do the right thing. Don't drive impaired. If you are lucky enough to have SafeRide America in your town, call us.

The National Council for the Prevention of Impaired Driving: Giving You Options

SafeRide America - We're there when you need us most.

After reading up on MADD's "Top 10 Methods to Reduce Drunk Driving" I feel compelled to react.  **see bottom of this blog

Seems to me that these "Top 10 Methods" are already being vigorously implemented across the nation  yet impaired driving crashes continue to mount; impaired driving statistics continue to rise; and the impaired driving problem this country faces has now reached epidemic proportions.

Their "Top 10 Methods" are not getting the job done.  Current and future laws simply fall short of solving the problem.  Society needs new tools to solve this crisis.  We need to be more proactive to stop impaired driving.  Throwing people in jail is not the answer we have been searching for.   That is now very apparent.

Now I'm not saying MADD has done a bad job confronting this issue.  I'm saying it's NOT ENOUGH.  MADD has done wonders in bringing attention to the issue, and for that we are all truly grateful.  BUT IT IS TIME WE TRY OUR BEST TO STOP IMPAIRED DRIVING BEFORE IT HAPPENS:  Not wait until someone is killed then punish the killer:  Not wait until someone gets behind the wheel while intoxicated to try and "catch them in the act".  I just don't understand the logic.  I mean, why wait until a tragedy occurs to do something about it?  Doesn't make much sense. 

Why do we have to wait until we have a victim to do something?  MADD's "Top Ten Factors to Discourage Drunk Driving" (see below) must not strike enough fear into the minds of people.  If it did, would this country still be loosing 1 person every 30 seconds to an impaired driving crash?

It's time for new solutions.  New ideas.  A more proactive approach to stopping impaired driving is needed.  WE MUST TRY TO STOP IT BEFORE IT CAN HAPPEN!

 MADD Stats

Top 10 Factors to Discourage Drunk Driving
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• Realizing they could kill or injure others ..............96 percent
• Realizing they could kill or injure themselves .......91 percent
• Jail sentence ...................................................91 percent
• Possibility of losing their license..........................89 percent
• Paying substantial fines .....................................85 percent
• Having car impounded.........................................85 percent
• Installing an ignition interlock in vehicle if caught....81 percent
• Fear of losing their job ........................................80 percent
• Sobriety checkpoints...........................................80 percent
• Increased auto insurance rates ............................80 percent

Top 10 Methods to Reduce Drunk Driving
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• Encouraging the media to run free public service ads...........92 percent 
• Requiring repeat offenders and high BAC offenders to install an ignition interlock...........................................................................91 percent
• Giving convicted drunk drivers bigger fines and longer jail terms...............................................................................90 percent
• Requiring all DUI offenders to undergo mandatory alcohol abuse assessment.....................................................................90 percent
• Making it illegal to have an open container of alcohol in the car...................................................................................89 percent
• Increasing news coverage of drinking and driving..................87 percent
• Using sobriety checkpoints................................................87 percent
• Requiring all drivers and passangers to wear a seat belt..................................................................................87 percent
• Authorizing impoundment and sale of car belonging to repeat offender............................................................................84 percent
• Initiating government restrictions on alcohol advertising that appeals to youth...............................................................................83 percent

How Could This Happen To Me by Simple Plan

Why a SafeRide America membership?

SafeRide America Member benefits include the following:
- Reduced rates for the low-cost SafeRide Service
- $10.00 to be picked up and $1.00 per mile from sponsored locations, plus tip
- $12.50 to be picked up and $1.50 per mile from non-sponsored locations, plus tip
- Advance reservation privileges for the SafeRide Service
- Allow flex reservation privileges. Reserve a pick-up for up to a 2 hour window of time
- Home address becomes recognized as a sponsoring pick-up location
- Reduced liability from serving alcohol to others at your residence
- Peace of mind from the consequences of you or others driving while impaired
- SafeRide America Membership card

Annual Membership $100

Student Annual Membership $50

Family Memberships $100 for the first  $35 for each additional family member

The smart choice is to join the thousands of people who are choosing not to face the consequences of driving impaired.

CALL NOW 404.888.0887

We have all been there and done that...driven impaired that is.

Yes, even me.

Be it from alcohol, drugs, sick, medication, sleep deprivation or fatigue, we have all done it. It's ok to admit it. It's just a fact!

Why did we do it? Why do we do it? Why did we find it necessary to risk losing our life and think we were invincible? Why do we drive impaired?

For most, it's because we didn't want to leave our car behind ...right? We simply haven't had any other option, until now. "I don't like cabs or buses. I want my car with me."

"I've tried to plan on using a designated driver, but ...well, they got drunk too. I mean come on. Who's gonna sit there and watch me have a great time, partying and not join in?" Well, ok, if you don't drink I can see it. "Personally, I don't have friends that totally abstain from alcohol. If I did, I'm sure they wouldn't be out partying with me anyway."

Reason after reason. Excuse after excuse.

I here story after story that end in the most tragic of circumstances. I mean let's face it. When we are impaired, we don't exactly think in logical patterns, especially if we've been drinking. I know I don't.

Even stories of police officers getting DUI's ...you've heard them. Story after story.

Get this. About a month ago, one of our driver teams was driving an impaired person home at 10:00 in the morning. Yes, in the morning. Ever had one of those nights?

Well, they came to a red light and stopped. All of a sudden ...BAM ...our driver gets hit. BY ANOTHER IMPAIRED DRIVER AT 10 IN THE MORNING. The driver that hit the SafeRide team got a DUI and his car was totaled. Thank goodness it wasn't any worse.

Don't think it can happen to you ...think again.

SafeRide America has been created so you do have an option. Don't risk it. You may not die, or kill someone else, but a DUI is very expensive. A safe ride home is a lot cheaper I assure you.

This country continues to pass one law after another to penalize those that drive while impaired. Is it helping? I think not. Let's stop impaired driving BEFORE IT HAPPENS!

Do DUI laws scare us from driving impaired? Do you really want me to answer that?

It's up to you. We can stop it. We can choose to be responsible. We can make a difference.

We're here. You do have an option.

Don't spoil your fun.

Please visit our sponsors. It's because of them that you do have an option.

Have fun, but please be safe. 404.888.0887

Ok. Thanks for letting me stand on my soap box. I'll get off now. Sometimes I just have to vent. It helps me remember why I do this. It's for you and for me. I'm personally glad I have SafeRide America.