Assessment of Year-Round and Holiday Ride Service Programs

Molof, M. J.; Dresser, J.; Ungerleider, S.; Kimball, C.; Schaefer, J. · 1995 · ROSA P / United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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Summary

This 1995 report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) evaluates the effectiveness of Ride Service Programs (RSPs) designed to reduce alcohol-impaired driving. Motivated by a lack of empirical evidence regarding RSP impact on traffic safety, the study assessed two distinct models: "I'm Smart," a year-round, for-profit program in Syracuse, New York, and "SoberCab," a holiday-specific, free service in Minneapolis-St. Paul. The research aimed to determine if these programs reduce alcohol-related trips and crashes, identify user characteristics, and assess operational efficiency and public awareness. The study employed a mixed-methods design involving surveys, interviews, and crash data analysis between 1991 and 1993. Researchers conducted surveys at Department of Motor Vehicles offices and alcohol-serving establishments to measure public awareness and knowledge of the programs. They also performed ride-along observations and interviews with users to characterize the clientele and verify impairment levels. Additionally, the study analyzed alcohol-related crash trends in the service areas compared to control regions to assess safety outcomes. Findings indicated that while public awareness of RSPs was moderate, actual usage was low. For I'm Smart, corporate members constituted the majority of users, with the program providing approximately 2,500 rides annually. Users were predominantly individuals who would have driven impaired had the service not been available. SoberCab provided roughly 700 free rides during the holiday period, primarily to patrons from public establishments. Both programs successfully targeted their intended audiences, with users reporting high levels of intoxication. However, the study found no statistically significant reduction in alcohol-related crashes in the service areas compared to control areas. The analysis suggested that while RSPs prevent individual impaired trips, their current scale is insufficient to alter aggregate traffic safety statistics. The report concludes that RSPs are a viable component of a broader DWI prevention strategy but require increased utilization to impact crash rates. I'm Smart’s for-profit model proved sustainable through corporate memberships and liability reduction incentives for establishments. SoberCab relied on hospital consortium funding and volunteer dispatchers. The authors recommend that future programs focus on increasing public awareness and usage rates, particularly among high-risk demographics, and suggest that RSPs be integrated with other countermeasures, such as server training and enforcement, to maximize effectiveness.

Key finding

Neither the year-round I'm Smart program nor the holiday SoberCab program produced a statistically significant reduction in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes in their respective service areas.

Methodology

mixed_methods

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

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• dui enforcement

Information type

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• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation
• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence