“The only thing I ask is that you drink responsibly and do not drink and drive,” said Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr. during a press conference on Tuesday. “We want to continue the traditions that our families have of getting together every Thanksgiving and enjoying each other during the day.”
Residents can scan a QR code located on the prosecutor’s office website and its Facebook page to get a free Uber ride home worth up to $20. The vouchers are available from 6 p.m. Wednesday through 6 a.m. Sunday.
Created in 2007, ArriveSafe has provided more than 23,000 free rides home to Montgomery County residents.
Heck said more than one-third of all traffic deaths in Ohio involve alcohol-impaired drivers. More than one-third of all drivers who are arrested for OVI have at least one previous OVI conviction, too.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s OVI crash database, nearly 460 alcohol-related crashes were reported in Montgomery County last year. Eighteen of these crashes were fatal.
But the number of alcohol-related traffic crashes in Ohio has dropped for the past three years — a trend Heck said he wants to see continue.
Law enforcement officers will be looking for impaired drivers over the Thanksgiving weekend. Heck advised caution to families and said he wishes them peace and tranquility.
“It’s a time we can be together. And I think it’s so important,” Heck said.
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