Goshen, New York-based Dana Distributors will offer New Year’s Eve celebrants a free ride home to drive down holiday drunk driving.
The operation, dubbed the Alert Cab, will run from 4 p.m. on Dec. 31 to 2 a.m. on Jan. 1.
Over 700 bars, taverns, and restaurants in Orange, Rockland, and Sullivan counties participate in the program, plus a local cab company and Uber.
A few guidelines must be met before one can use the free services, including that the destination must be the user’s home, and that their house must be within 10 miles of the bar or restaurant.
“We want to promote responsible drinking and make the road a little safer for everyone during the holiday season,” Dana Distributors general manager Tom Kennedy told The Epoch Times at a Dec. 30 press conference to bring awareness to the program.
The Alert Cab program was first started in 1986 and has logged 2,400 free rides so far, typically running during major celebrations such as the Super Bowl, St. Patrick’s Day, Thanksgiving Eve, and New Year’s Eve.
Each year, the company pays between $3,000 and $5,000 for the rides, Kennedy said.
According to Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler, the number of arrests for driving while intoxicated rose to 1,155, or by 2 percent, for the first three quarters of 2022 when compared to the past year.
About 10 percent of arrestees require additional alcohol treatment following evaluations, Hoovler said at the press conference.
“Overall, the message today is ‘be responsible and enjoy yourself,’” he said.
Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus said, “We had a very dangerous and busy Christmas weekend for emergency management services, a lot of accidents, so this is still happening. We really need to get this message out here.”
Orange County Sheriff’s Office Undersheriff Kenneth Jones said about the program, “Think about that, a beer company telling people to be responsible. Just the basic premise of that speaks to itself.”
Jones added that the impact of the program is not only about free rides but also raising awareness about responsible drinking.
