Need a Sober Ride Home New Year’s Eve? There's an App for That

Drinking and driving can lead to worse things than just being arrested for DUI and losing your job. Years ago I watched a drunk driver ram his large pickup truck into another man's truck. The drunk driver lived. The other guy didn't.

Statistics in Alpharetta on drunk drivers hopefully will be sobering.

In 2011, the months with the most DUI arrests in Alpharetta were March, May and September. St. Patrick's Day may make March a heavier drinking month, as would  Cinco de Mayo in May. But what makes September so high? Is it Labor Day weekend and the "official" end to summer, perhaps, or the start of college football?

Alpharetta DUI Comparison 2010-2011

*As of Dec. 29, 7:37 a.m.

Gary George, director of the , said its
DUI enforcement team will be working throughout the holidays during the nighttime and at peak travel times.

"Units comprised of the uniformed patrol division, the traffic unit and the DUI enforcement unit will be actively looking to identify and arrest those drivers who choose to drive while impaired. Impaired drivers are a grave danger on our
roadways," George said.

Tonight is a night to leave the car at home so you aren't even tempted to drink and drive. Or find a designated driver who really won't drink, and surrender your keys before you head out to the party.

But if those fail, the state has a plan to keep you off the road after drinking. To ensure that anyone who has had too much to drink doesn’t hit the roads on New Year’s Eve, the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety has come up with a plan.

Across Georgia on New Year’s Eve, and Super Bowl Sunday, there will be a wide variety of taxi companies and designated driver services providing free rides home for people “in need of a sober driver.” The service, and corresponding app for it, is part of the GOHS program to eliminate drunk drivers on Georgia roads.

The following are steps to help you download the Georgia Sober Ride App for the iPhone and Android:

iPhone Application (through iTunes Store)

Android Market (for non-Apple products)

Visit the Drive Sober, Georgia page to view a simulation of the application.

For an up-to-date listing of available services and contact numbers before you leave for the party, click here.

Sober Ride Georgia is a part of the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over program designed to keep drunk drivers off Georgia roads. Included in the program is Georgia’s high visibility enforcement targeting impaired drivers through concentrated patrols and sobriety checkpoints. All law enforcement agencies are working together to protect everyone from impaired drivers, especially during the holidays.

The Georgia Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over program is part of the national campaign to eliminate drunk drivers.