CDOT, AAA, MIG and Lyft Get St. Patty's Partiers Home Safe

In conjunction with The Heat Is On St. Patrick’s Day DUI enforcement period from March 14-18, CDOT teamed with AAA, the Marijuana Industry Group (MIG), the City of Denver and Lyft to provide $13,500 in free Lyft rides to Coloradans - an amount equivalent to the average cost of a DUI after considering legal fees and increased insurance costs – to help keep impaired drivers off the road. In addition to keeping Coloradans safe, the partnership was formed to help increase awareness about the dangers of driving after poly-consumption – driving under the influence of alcohol in combination with marijuana or other drugs. Coloradans were asked to sign a pledge to never drive impaired in order to unlock the free Lyft ride credit. Participants could complete the pledge online or by visiting CDOT at Denver’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, where the agency and its partners parked a vinyl-wrapped car for people to sign during the downtown festivities.

More than 4,200 people signed the pledge to plan ahead for a sober ride – far exceeding expectations. Thanks to additional contributions from partners, CDOT’s promotion ultimately provided more than $18,000 in Lyft credit to help Coloradans get a sober ride throughout the weekend.  

Unfortunately, there were still those who chose to drive impaired – a total of 293 drivers were arrested for DUI during the four-day enforcement period, a slight decrease from last year’s 323 arrests.