ORLANDO, Fla. — A smartphone app that stops drinkers from getting behind the wheel is gaining popularity in Orlando.
“Be My Designated Driver” or BeMyDD.com, serves 76 cities across the United States, including Orlando, where its chief executive told Channel 9 it’s been actively serving hundreds in a growing client base for more than three years.
The app sends a person to drive someone home using the drinker’s car.
Florida’s yearly tally of drunken-driving crashes are on a slow decline.
“They’re going down about 2 percent each year,” said Yolanda Larson, the executive director of central Florida’s chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Because that number is still not enough for her, she said MADD embraces the flow of high tech ride-share services selling a safe ride home.
BeMyDD is not subject to the same licensing rules as services like Uber and Lyft.
Orlando police said it’s different because the service uses the drinker’s own car and therefore the company is not subject to special taxi fees.
MADD says those who get behind the wheel impaired will drive an average of 82 times before being pulled over, but there’s really no excuse to do it, especially with apps like BeMyDD.
“It’s going to continue to help us to achieve our mission and that’s to eliminate drunk driving,” Larson said.
BeMyDD carries a $2 million insurance policy to cover any theft or damage the entire time one of its driver’s is in the app user’s car.
In Florida, a DUI conviction can stay on a person’s record for 75 years.
WFTV
