Unless you have managed to travel back in time from the future and truly are my offspring, I am not your mother. I do not need to tell you a hundred times that drinking and driving is wrong. You know this. It is dangerous not only to the drunken driver, but also to everyone and everything around them. This includes people’s property, sweet and innocent bunnies (and other animals) and, worst of all, other human beings.
It was the morning after a sleepover I’d had with my high school best friend when she received an alarmingly disturbing phone call. She was alerted that one of her friends from college had passed away the night before in a drunken driving accident. Naturally, I felt sadness for this girl and the three others involved in the accident but, more than anything, I felt anger toward the driver for taking the life of him and his two friends and putting his other friend in critical condition because he made the decision to drink and drive. Being the nosy person I am, the questions came pouring out. “Where were they?” “Why did your friend get in a car with a drunk driver?” “Why didn’t they just take an Uber?”
The answers to all of the questions were a bit terrifying, but the answer to the third question was the most painful to hear. “We don’t have Uber at my school.” That was when I discovered the real source of the problem. There are many positive aspects of attending SMU, the biggest likely being that it is in the midst of a big city so Uber drivers are readily available. No one ever feels like they have to drink and drive on campus since it only costs roughly $4 to find a safe ride. It costs $4 to save your life. Not to say drinking and driving doesn't occur because I'm sure that it does on occasion, but at least Uber is an option that the majority of students on campus take advantage of. This is a very important aspect of the college life since partying and drinking are so prevalent in campus culture.
After hearing firsthand about this tragedy, I decided to look more into cities without Uber drivers. I discovered Nacogdoches, Texas doesn’t have Uber, which leaves Stephen F. Austin State University vulnerable to drunken driving accidents. There are no Uber drivers in Gulf Shores, Alabama -- a popular spring break destination for college students. Wichita Falls, Texas, home to Midwestern State University, has no Uber service. I am positive there are many other places without Uber and, especially around college campuses, this is extremely unsafe.
Uber, Lyft, and similar apps should be a part of a college culture, like underage (and of age) drinking. Yes, there are other taxi services such as yellow cab but those amenities can be up to around $45 for a ride. Since college students are notoriously broke, this can be a little bit pricey and, to some, risking your life while driving under the influence seems like a better price while in a state of lapsed judgment. The average drunken driver drives at least 80 times, on average, before getting caught. This seems much easier, right? You haven’t been caught yet, right? You still can do it 79 more times, right? Wrong. Drinking and driving is still never a good idea.
Some may argue that by eliminating Uber drivers, it may encourage underage college students not to drink. Although I have never actually heard this argument myself, I think it's easy to assume it's false. If the 1984 National Minimum Age Drinking Act did not put an end to underage drinking, neither will preventing students from easily accessing a safe ride. This is why we need an easy-to-use, fast and fairly inexpensive ride-booking service.
Drunken driving takes away more than just lives. It takes away someone’s son or daughter. It takes away someone’s best friend. It takes away someone’s parent, aunt, uncle, cousin, sibling, co-worker, boss, grandparent, husband, or wife. When a city provides no means of a safe, easy and effective transportation service, it increases the risk for everyone. Uber will not stop the drinking and driving problem we have in America, but it certainly will help, especially for college students. To the victims of the recent drunken driving accident that I mentioned earlier, please rest in peace. No one should ever feel like they need to ride in a car with a drunken driver because there isn't another alternative.
To everyone else still living, thank your Uber drivers for saving your life. You may not realize how big of a deal it is, but deciding to take a ride from a sober driver may very well be the best decision you have ever made. If your town or city, especially college towns, fails to provide a ride-booking service, be the change! Make it happen! Petition your city council, find drivers! Do whatever it takes to make sure that your town is a safe place to live for everyone because you never know who the next victim of a drunken driving accident could be. Who knows, it may even be you.