WPD Safe Rides Offers Responsible DUI Alternative

WARWICK, RI — The Warwick Police Department’s Safe Rides program is offering volunteer-staffed rides from any Warwick establishment to any Warwick residence if you’re drinking this St. Patrick’s Day – Friday.

 

“Make sure you have a plan for a safe ride home tomorrow night. Law enforcement already has a plan and it doesn’t end with finding a pot of gold. #dontdrinkanddrive,” Warwick Police posted to their Facebook page reminding people about the program.

“We will be offering Safe Rides Home from 7 p.m. to 2am on St Patrick’s Day from any liquor establishment in the City of Warwick to any address within Warwick. Call 401-732-0308 MADD Rhode Island NHTSA  Call the safe rides phone number within city limits this St. Patrick’s Day, and you can steer clear of a DUI arrest or a tragic crash.”

The Safe Rides Program returns Friday for its seventh year, a collaboration between the Warwick Police Department and the Warwick Citizens Police Academy AlumniAssociation. The program is nine years old, but the pandemic caused the department to cancel the program in 2020 and 2021.

During St. Patrick’s Day, volunteers team up to reduce DUI related crashes and reduce incidents of drunk driving by offering residents a ride home as an alternative to being arrested for DUI during the St. Patrick’s Day holiday in the city.

Exercise some good judgment and call  WarwickPolice if you’ve been drinking in the city anytime between the hours of 7 p.m. and 2 a.m. on St. Patrick’s Day, and volunteers will be dispatched to establishments in the city to provide a safe, free ride home anywhere within the City of Warwick if you need a ride or have had too much to drink.

Outside Warwick, you can also call on family, friends, a cab, and designate a sober driver in advance.

Bars and liquor-serving establishments throughout Warwick have been notified of the program and encouraged to promote the effort among their patrons, Warwick Police report.