Uber Teams Up with Nevada Public Safety Department to Keep Drunk Drivers Off the Wheel on Fourth of July Celebration

Popular ride-sharing app Uber teams up with the Nevada Department of Public Safety to keep the streets free of drunk drivers in line with the Fourth of July celebration, which is considered to heaviest drinking days of the year.

According to the report from Modern Readers, Uber will be offering discounted ride codes from June 30 to July 5 that will cover first time app user's ride for a maximum of $15 as part of their partnership with the Zero Fatalities initiative of the Nevada Department of Public Safety.

Additionally, $5 will be taken from each Uber ride and will be donated to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or MADD.

In addition to Uber, party goers can also avail the "Tipsy Tow" program of American Automobile Association (AAA) in Nevada. AAA will take anyone home, along with their vehicle, for free between 6 p.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Tuesday. AAA are urging drivers, potential passengers, party hosts, bartenders and restaurant managers to call 800-222-4357 (AAA-HELP) for free tows for up to 10 miles. AAA noted that their Tipsy Tow program is available for anyone, even if they are not AAA members.

In line with the weekend drunk fest, law enforcement agencies in Nevada have increased their patrols to keep their roads clean of drunk drivers. Law enforcement officers will also distribute Uber discount cards during traffic stops to inform motorists about their additional option going home if they are planning to spend the night drinking.

Zero Fatalities reported that 27 percent of all traffic fatalities in Nevada in 2011 were all alcohol-related. They also reported that somebody dies every 51 minutes from drunk-driving crash in the United States. When caught driving-under-influence, a person will approximately spend $10,000 in legal fees, fines and insurance rates.

The illegal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in Nevada is 0.02 percent for drivers under the age of 21, 0.04 percent for commercial license holders and 0.08 percent for everyone else. Law enforcement officers may use reasonable force to obtain blood samples when a driver refused to have his/her breath and blood tested.