Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) and Uber have paired up as part of an initiative to bring technology and shared-riding services into the battle against drunk driving. Shared-ride services, such as Uber, can play an important role in reducing the number of intoxicated drivers on Florida’s roadways.

Drunk Driving Facts

The statistics from MADD are daunting.

• Every two minutes a person is injured in a drunk driving crash.
• In 2014, a person died in a drunk driving crash every 53 minutes.
• In 2013, 28.7 million people admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol – more than the population of Texas.
• 50 to 75 percent of convicted drunk drivers continue to drive on a suspended license.

There are significant economic costs associated with drunk driving as well.

• Drunk driving costs each adult in the United States $500 per year.
• Drunk driving costs the United States $132 billion a year.

Steep Penalties

Florida penalties for a first time DUI conviction are stiff and include:

• A fine, probation, and possible imprisonment
• Community service – 50 Hours
• Probation
• License revocation for a minimum of 180 days

Offenders must also attend school and pay for the costs of having legal representation. Of course, offenders also risk losing their jobs and drunk drivers’ insurance rates skyrocket. However, the loss of life is still the biggest concern and all drivers should take steps to protect themselves and those around them by planning ahead.

Uber, Lyft, traditional taxi services and public transportation are great ways of avoiding drinking and driving. There are fewer and fewer “excuses” for driving while intoxicated and those that do should be held accountable for their actions.

MADD and Uber Team Up

MADD believes that teaming up with Uber will help reduce the occurrence of intoxicated driving. These organizations are particularly hopeful that an increase of the use of shared-ride services like Uber will lead to meaningful declines in drunk driving by younger adults.

Road traffic crashes continue to be the leading cause of death around the world for people 15-29 years old and this demographic is a perfect target audience for technology driven companies like Uber. According to MADD, fatal crashes are particularly high among drivers ages 21 to 24 (30 percent) and ages 25 to 35 (29 percent).

These age categories match well with Uber’s user age demographics. Approximately 70 percent of Uber users are between the ages of 16 and 34, with the highest concentration of users age 25 to 34. Unfortunately, shared-rides are currently most prevalent in urban areas and have little presence in rural areas. According to one study, nearly 60 percent of Uber users are using the service for urban transportation, as opposed to only 5 percent of usage in rural areas.

Seek Help After Injury

If you are injured by an intoxicated driver, contact us immediately so that we can begin the process of helping you recover your losses and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.

There are many things that the experienced personal injury attorneys at the Spivey Law Firm can do to help those injured by an intoxicated driver. Cape Coral personal injury attorney Randall Spivey and his team will work hard for you throughout the entire legal process. If you have been involved in a car accident, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. today.