Law firm offers free rides for New Year’s to reduce drunk driving
Smartphone-enabled transportation services like Lyft and Uber have said they can help cut down on drunk driving accidents in the cities where they are active. On New Year’s Eve, a Boston law firm is counting on it.
Sweeney Merrigan Law, a personal injury firm, has bought $5,000 worth of Lyft credits to distribute to anybody who pledges not to drive drunk on New Year’s Eve. The firm will distribute 333 individual credits worth $15 to Boston-area residents who sign the pledge online. Users will be able to sign the pledge starting Dec. 30.
“Our firm has been involved with charitable work in the past, and this year we took a sort of more creative approach to this holiday season,’’ said Peter Merrigan, a partner at the firm.
Rob Tindula, a spokesman for Sweeney Merrigan, acknowledged that there’s no way to ensure the pledge signers stick to it, or to know whether they aren’t just signing up to get a free Lyft ride they would have taken anyway. But he said the firm hopes the program will raise awareness about ways to avoid drunk driving.
“There are 333 rides, but if you get one person to change their mind from getting behind the wheel, then that’s a success,’’ Tindula said.
Lyft spokeswoman Katie Dally said Sweeney Merrigan approached the company about buying the credits. The companies do not have a business relationship beyond that, she said.
“Some companies buy them for employees to get home safely and quickly when working late, and in the case of [Sweeney Merrigan], to give people rides to and from events like New Year’s Eve celebrations,’’ Dally said in an email.
Last New Year’s Eve, Lyft teamed with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, asking customers to sign a pledge not to drive drunk and donating a dollar to the advocacy group for every signature collected.
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