A Modest Proposal:
How to Keep Our Roads Free From Drivers Under the Influence 365 Days a Year

Permission is granted to reprint the following article as long as no changes are made and the byline, copyright information, and the resource box is included. Please let me know if you use this article by sending an email to dje@newedisongazette.com. A Modest Proposal Copyright © December 26, 2014 Douglas W Jerving. All Rights Reserved. Triple A (AAA) has provided, for several years now, a free taxi service to intoxicated drivers so they get home safe from the party on New Years Eve and Saint Patrick’s Day. (They call it Tipsy Tow; Google it before going out this New Years Eve.) This is a wonderful pro bono work that they provide. It is nationwide, (Snopes.com disputes the nationwide claim), and it is available to anyone, even if you are not a paid user of their services. What if we could do something like that 365 days a year, either on a local level, or even state or nation-wide, with funding from non-profit charitable organizations? I for one would contribute to such a charitable group, and I’m sure a lot of other folks would too. I realize there are a lot of logistical and governmental hoops to jump through in order to make this work, but here are the bare bones of my proposal. No questions asked, just a free ride paid for by a non-profit organization that is set up to fund this need. Call for the ride. The non-profit automatically connects you to a local taxi service that is contracted to work with them. The taxi company is automatically reimbursed up to a certain amount based on average drive times. Establishments that provide alcoholic beverages would be encouraged to participate in such a program. It could even become part of local ordinance that in order to obtain their liquor license, they must participate. Any reasonable cost to the proprietor would be reimbursed as a part of the program, thus avoiding an added tax burden to the public. The taxi service likely would make a second fare the next day. They could contract with the passenger to assist in retrieving their car. They are paid by the non-profit for their original services and then the next day they are hired for the return trip by the owner of the automobile he left behind the night before. That would be a win-win situation for everyone involved. ------------------------ Doug Jerving is the publisher of the NewEdisonGazette.com. You may contact him at dje@newedisongazette.com. ================================= Return to The New Edison Gazette main site.