When you leave the bar too intoxicated to drive, often times we call a close friend or a taxi to give us a ride home. No doubt there is no shortage of alternative choices when it comes to drunk driving, but ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft have given us even more options.
Here at the law offices of Kelly Cardon & Associates, we are well versed in DUI defense law. With more than 25 years of experience, not only do we have the expertise to help your DUI defense, but we have the resources as well. While we may defend against DUI charges, it will always be far safer to avoid driving while intoxicated. Ridesharing companies provide another alternative to drunk driving.
More Options, Less Drunk Drivers
One thing we know for sure is the more options we give people, the less drunk drivers there will be on the road. With Uber and Lyft having made their way to Utah, we hope to see a sharp decline in the number of DUI charges every year. The Beehive state has already taken a number of steps to help curb the DUI issue in the state, and ridesharing can only help to lower these numbers.
Utah is one of the leading states when it comes to the fight to end drunk driving. The state passed an ignition interlock law in 2006 and soon saw a major drop in the number of DUIs and DUI-related deaths. Now that ridesharing has caught on, these additional options can only help to improve the safety of our roads.
In fact, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) issued a release in early 2015 that showed exactly how effective these companies have become at curbing drunk drivers.
In San Francisco, for example, Uber has been operating since 2009. This gives us a large enough sample size to determine the effectiveness of ridesharing companies at fighting DUIs. Since 2012, drunk driving crashes decreased by more than 6%. This potentially put a stop to nearly 60 fewer drunk driving crashes every month!
Of course, ridesharing companies are not the only options available to us if we are too intoxicated to drive. Taxicabs have long been a viable option to avoid drunk driving, as have using designated drivers who agree to not consume alcohol before the night gets started.
Taxis vs. Rideshares
While taxis have been able to curb drunk driving to an extent, the introduction of Uber, Lyft, and other ridesharing companies, has expanded these options.
Many cities have a limit of how many taxicabs can operate within the city limits and many other Utah towns may be too small for a taxicab company to operate. With this, ridesharing companies are able to cater to a portion of the populace that taxis cannot. This has helped ridesharing companies fight DUIs.
Additionally, the competitive pricing of Uber and Lyft have helped these companies reduce drunk driving. Ridesharing companies’ pricing systems function similarly to that of a traditional taxicab. Fees for their services are based on a flat fee plus a mile or minute fee. In Salt Lake City, for example, the cost of UberX is as follows:
- $1 base fare charge
- $0.14 per minute charge
- $0.80 per mile charge
Additionally, there is a $1.55 booking fee and the minimum fare is $4.55. Cancellation of an UberX ride in Salt Lake City will leave you with a $5 fee.
Contact Kelly Cardon Today!
If you weren’t able to hail a taxi or contact Uber, Lyft, or some other rideshare company in Salt Lake City and ended up with a DUI, don’t worry. Kelly Cardon & Associates are here to help you fight the charge. We understand exactly how much a DUI charge can affect your daily life. Fighting your DUI charge with Kelly Cardon can be one of the smartest decisions you make.
You can contact our Ogden, Utah office here or call our 24-hour phone service for your free case analysis. Northern Utah residents, can reach us at 801.627.1110. Salt Lake City residents can call us at 801.328.1110.
