Sober Rides offers Lyft, Uber vouchers for Delawareans on New Year’s Eve

With New Year’s Eve just a few days away, the Delaware Office of Highway Safety will again offer a program to crack down on driving under the influence to improve roadway safety.

Sober Rides provides vouchers of up to $20 from partners Lyft and Uber, usable between Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. through Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, at 2 a.m.

More than 100 people used the vouchers on the night before Thanksgiving.

How to get a Sober Rides voucher

Delawareans anywhere in the state simply scan a QR code – which links to mysoberrides.com – found on campaign posters, table tents, flyers, and other materials. 

OHS is encouraging Delawareans to plan ahead by downloading and depositing their voucher into their preferred ride-sharing app before heading out for their New Year’s Eve fun.

OHS has street teams at bars and restaurants in each county. OHS also partnered with liquor stores, bars, restaurants, and local police departments who share posters, flyers, table tents, and social media content with information on how people can download their ride vouchers.

“Breakthru Beverage proudly supports many important community-focused programs across our national footprint and here in Delaware,” said Tim Daning, executive VP of Breakthru Beverage Delaware. “The Sober Rides initiative serves a vital role in Delaware, and we are committed to supporting safety and responsibility programs such as this. We encourage everyone celebrating this season to take advantage of this program.”

From 2019 to 2023, the First State had 331 DUI-related crashes that resulted in fatalities or serious injury. 

Be careful if you’re walking on roadways

On top of people drinking to celebrate the holidays, there’s also an increased presence of traffic and pedestrians on roadways, which boosts the risk of an accident. 

Even when walking, pedestrians should avoid distractions and sober up before walking along roadways.

“If you are planning on consuming alcohol or any other substances during holiday celebrations, make sure to plan a ride home,” the office said in a statement.

Unfortunately, what should be one of the happiest times of the year for Delawareans can quickly turn into a tragic time, said Sharon Bryson, director of the Delaware Office of Highway Safety, in a statement.

Local companies, police and sponsors support Sober Rides program

She said that OHS is grateful to have community partners including law enforcement, financial sponsors, and local businesses and organizations helping us spread our message. 

“Their support allows us to combine and expand these two impactful campaigns,” she said. “By making resources like these more accessible, we can do more to ensure that Delawareans arrive alive this holiday season.”

First Staters can also take advantage of another initiative called Safe Family Holiday, which encourages best practices around four key road safety issues: DUI/DUID, speeding, occupant protection/distracted driving, and pedestrian activities. 

Street teams attended two events in each county for the Safe Family Holiday campaign, with safe driving trivia, fun, and shareable photo opportunities, and other activities that promote safe driving and pedestrian tips. 

The messaging has been tailored to specific communities, with the entire campaign covering the four key roadway safety issues: driving under the influence, occupant protection/distracted driving, pedestrian safety, and speeding.

This extended and integrated marketing and communications strategy embraces multiple elements of roadway safety. “Love Your Neighbor” branding and messaging is being continued through Sober Rides and Safe Family Holiday, providing cohesiveness for those initiatives.

“The Delaware Restaurant Association and our members take responsible alcohol service very seriously, and the safety of our guests and coworkers is always a top priority,” said Karen Stauffer, senior director of communications and strategy at the Delaware Restaurant Association. “We’ve partnered with the Office of Highway Safety for years, offering alcohol training and education refresher classes in an effort to keep our roadways and communities safe.”

This new sober ride initiative, she said, is a great program that will go a long way to keep Delawareans safe during times when we know people will be out celebrating. 

“Partnering with restaurants is a great way to engage the community and ensure people are aware of these opportunities, and take advantage of these free ride programs,” she said. 

This story updates a story written by reporter Jarek Rutz in November.