New Year's revelry tonight can be ended with a drunk driving arrest.
To make sure you don't run afoul of the law, seven area counties are involved with the Tavern League of Wisconsin's Safe Ride Home program.
Aaron Schultz owns Big Daddy's in downtown Rhinelander and is SafeRide Coordinator for the Oneida County Tavern League.
He tells us about the SafeRide program...
"The Oneida County Tavern League, in conjunction with the Department of Transportation, insures that you get home safely at no charge for the person requesting the ride. This is a free ride home, provided you get it from an Oneida County Tavern League member..."
Schultz says it's easy to do...
"All you have to do is ask the bartender, "hey, can you call me a SafeRide?'. That's it....:
Schultz says the establishment will give a voucher to give to the cab driver and the voucher covers your fare for the ride home. Schultz says they have fundraisers throughout the year to provide the funds for the rides. He says individual establishments buy the voucher books to be able to give to patrons requesting a ride.
Statewide, the cost of the program last year was nearly $1,000,000. The program is partially funded by a surcharge on people convicted of drunk driving, and the rest is paid by Tavern League members. The program is available in Oneida, Vilas, Langlade, Lincoln, Price, Iron and Marathon counties. Last year, Tavern League members provided more than 91,000 SafeRides to their patrons.
