GOHS Drive Sober, Georgia app revamped - WTOC-TV: Savannah, Beaufort, SC, News, Weather & Sports

Drive Sober app revamped

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ATLANTA (WTOC) -

The Governor's Office of Highway Safety has revamped its smartphone app to help keep impaired drivers off the roadways.

The free Drive Sober, Georgia app provides a list businesses that offer free and paid rides home for 10 Georgia cities and areas around the Atlanta metro.

For rural areas, it offers details on where to find the AAA and Budweiser Tow-to-Go service provider on Super Bowl weekend.

The free app is available in the Apple app store for iPhones and Google Play for Android devices.

The app has been made easier to use and Athens and Statesboro, have been added to the app's directory of sober rides.

In 2010, drunk driving crashes made up nearly one-third of fatal crashes in the U.S. and resulted in 10,228 fatalities that year, according GOHS and data from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

GOHS tips for Super Bowl partygoers or watching game at bar/restaurant:

  • Designate a sober driver before the party.
  • Avoid drinking too much alcohol too fast. Eat plenty of food, take breaks and alternate with non-alcoholic drinks.
  • Ask a sober friend for a ride home if there isn't a designated driver. Or call a cab, friend, or family member to pick you up. If possible, stay where you are for the night and don't drive until you sober up.
  • Arrange a safe way to get intoxicated friends home.
  • Use a seat belt. It's the law and the best defense against other drunk drivers.

GOHS tips for Super Bowl party host:

  • Ensure guests designate their sober drivers in advance or help arrange rides with sober drivers.
  • Serve plenty of food and non-alcoholic drinks at the party.
  • Host the party just like they do at the stadium. Stop serving alcohol at the end of the third quarter. Serve coffee and dessert during the fourth quarter.
  • Keep the phone numbers of local cab companies on hand and take the keys away from intoxicated guests who plan on driving.
  • Party hosts can be held liable and prosecuted if someone you served ends up in a drunk-driving crash.
  • Parents can be held legally liable for damage, injury or death caused by underage people who drink and drive.
  • Parents could face jail time if they provide alcohol to or host a part for those younger than 21.

For more information programs aimed to cracking down on impaired driving, go to  www.gahighwaysafety.org.

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