Between 2017 and 2021, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that 36% of individuals killed in vehicle crashes in Georgia on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day involved a driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) above the state’s legal limit of 0.08. NHTSA also reported that 81% of drunk driving crashes in Georgia during these dates involved a driver with a BAC twice the legal limit.
The Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GAGOHS) was crucial in promoting safe transportation alternatives and preventing impaired driving during the 2023 Holiday season. GAGOHS, as one of two State Highway Safety Offices to receive a grant from GHSA, ride-hailing company Lyft, and Responsibility.org, utilized the funding to encourage responsible choices and discourage driving after consuming alcohol. This was achieved by promoting Lyft ride credits via advertisements as part of the state’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” driving campaign.
GAGOHS provided $20 Lyft ride credits statewide throughout the Winter Holidays and New Year’s in one continuous holiday campaign. With funds remaining, they provided ride credits for the 2023 Super Bowl, promoting ride-hailing services as a designated sober driver.
This grant funding provided 177 rides, each of which took a potential impaired driver off the road. More than 4,000 Georgians were reached via social media.