From left: Rep. Cristin McCarthy Vahey; Dir. of Development of the Fairfield Theatre Company, Joseph Rog; Rep. Brenda Kupchick; Fairfield Police Chief Gary MacNamara; Sen. Tony Hwang; Program Director of MADD CT, Johanna Krebs; Uber Connecticut General Manager, Matt Powers; Uber Driver-Partner, Della“Mama P” Pagano

As a part of our ongoing effort to combat drunk driving this holiday season, we joined Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), State Senator Tony Hwang, the Fairfield Police Department, and others at the Fairfield Theatre Company to urge residents to act responsibly this New Year’s Eve.

To bolster the effort, we announced promotions for both existing and new riders that are available across Connecticut. The details are as follows:

New Uber Users

New users can signup for Uber with promo code MADDCT for $25 off their first Uber ride, for each signup $5 will be donated to MADD Connecticut.

Existing Uber Users

Existing Uber users can enter promo code MADDCT2015 and for every Uber ride taken between 12/30/15 – 1/1/16 11:59pm  Uber will donate $5 to MADD Connecticut.

“It’s an honor to work with MADD, elected officials like Senator Hwang and local law enforcement, both during the holidays and throughout the year. Events like this give us the chance to remind people that there are other ways to get home when you’ve been out celebrating. When more people make responsible decisions, we can and will save lives.”

–General Manager of Uber Connecticut, Matt Powers

Matt Powers

Drunk driving incidents spike every year during the holiday season. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 945 drunk driving deaths across the country between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve in 2014.

A recent report from the Connecticut State Police showed an increase in holiday accidents this year. Of primary concern—the report showed that the number of arrests for driving under the influence more than doubled, from 19 last year to 40 in 2015.

“For nearly a year, MADD and Uber have been working to make sure that people act responsibly and avoid drinking and driving. Particularly now, during a time when we see a rise in drunk driving crashes, we urge everyone to utilize ridesharing services like Uber, so that no one is mourning the loss of a loved one at the start of the New Year.”
–Executive Director of MADD CT, Janice Margolis

“Drunken driving tragedies can be prevented. Please make responsible decisions and avoid drinking and driving while celebrating the start of the New Year. I want to recognize this partnership between Uber and MADD as a proven option to make sure our roads are as safe as possible on New Year’s Eve and throughout 2016.”
–State Senator Tony Hwang, 28th Senate District

Senator Tony Hwang

Recent evidence suggests that more and more people are using Uber to avoid drinking and driving. This past Thanksgiving Eve, a night notorious for high incidence of drunk driving, saw a record number of Uber trips in Connecticut in one night. From 7pm to 2am, when residents are typically coming or going to bars and restaurants to see old friends, there were 5x as many trips than a typical Wednesday evening in Connecticut.

“We encourage everyone to make safety part of their plans this holiday season. These plans should include safe transportation to and from celebrations. This partnership allows residents another option to arrive home safe. It is initiatives like these that can help prevent people from driving under the influence in the first place.”
–Fairfield Police Chief, Gary MacNamara

Gary MacNamara

Uber has been proven to help reduce drunk driving across America. For example, DUI arrests in Seattle decreased by more than 10% after Uber started serving riders and drivers in the city, according to a recent study. A recent independent study conducted by Temple University found cities where Uber operates have 3.6% – 5.6% fewer drunk driving deaths than cities without access to ridesharing.

“Today’s announcement is about saving lives. I want to thank Uber and MADD for coming together and helping make our roads safer.”

–State Representative Laura Devlin, a member of the legislature’s Transportation committee

“I’m happy to stand with MADD to save lives. MADD partnering with Uber makes me hopeful people will choose this safe and easy option. It’s a matter of life and death.”

–State Representative Brenda Kupchick

A report by Uber and MADD concludes that when empowered with more transportation options like Uber, people are making responsible choices that result in fewer alcohol-related crashes.