Sober ride services make people think twice before driving drunk

(KMSP) - As people across the Twin Cities ring in the New Year, many enjoy having a drink to celebrate.

New Year's Eve is also a night when many worry about who will be out on the road. We know drunk drivers are out on the roads and we also know they don't have to be. 

There are so many sober ride services out there and still drunk driving occurs.

A Minnesota company called Drink and Drive Intelligently thinks it has come up with the best idea yet for getting people home safe, and they have 12 years on the road to show for it. Their idea is simple: send drivers to take both you and your car home.

“We started in 2005 after seeing our friends and family members getting DWI’s and making the mistake of driving while intoxicated,” said DDI owner Brian Peters. “We saw the need to get people home with their cars."

Peters and a group of his high school friends started the business out of White Bear Lake and the demand quickly helped them to grow to cover the metro. Much of DDI’s growth has been with the help of the liquor industry and the bars themselves, advertising for Brian and proudly hanging signs in their establishment with DDI’s information.

“With their support we’ve been able to grow over the last 12 years,” Peters said. “We now have 30 drivers over the greater Twin Cities area and seven nights a week we are getting cars home for people.”

There is a $35 pick-up fee, then riders are charged four dollars per mile. People can reserve ahead of time or call on demand. Peters said that the business has become so popular that they are looking to franchise it in other cities, with a mobile app also in the works.

“It’s very rewarding because every time someone uses us and gets home safe, you know they would’ve otherwise driven their car and done damage to themselves or someone else,” Peters said.

For more information, visit DDI's website.