OHIO, USA — A new statewide program is offering a lift to help Ohioans get home safely during what is traditionally a busy week of holiday travel and one of the most popular nights of the year for drinking.
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Through a partnership with Lyft and a $20,000 grant from the Governors Highway Safety Association, the Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO) is offering $20 Lyft rideshare credits across Ohio.
The program is offered as a transportation alternative to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs during a holiday week that includes the night before Thanksgiving, one of the busiest drinking nights of the year, and a major football rivalry game.
“Even a small amount of alcohol can affect someone’s driving ability, that’s why it’s so important to plan a sober ride before you have even one drink,” said Emily Davidson, executive director of OTSO, in a news release. “We are grateful for this opportunity to give Ohioans a safe, affordable alternative to driving under the influence and protect communities from the dangers of drunk driving.”
Rideshare credits will be available throughout the holiday weekend, including during Ohio State’s rivalry football game against Michigan on Saturday.
Beginning Nov. 25, at 7 a.m. all Ohioans are eligible to receive the $20 rideshare credit while supplies last.
The rideshare credit code will be posted on the OTSO website at otso.ohio.gov/lyft. A limited number of rideshare credits will be available each day until grant funding runs out.
To claim a credit, Ohioans should open the Lyft app and choose “Payment” from the menu on the top left corner
- Scroll to the “Add Lyft Pass” section and enter the code from OTSO’s website.
- The $20 credit will be applied to your account and redeemed automatically during the eligible time.
- It’s important to note that you have only 24 hours to take your ride after adding the code to your Lyft app. Credits will expire within the Lyft app if they are not redeemed within the 24-hour time period. Unused credits will go back into the system to be claimed again the next day.
“Getting behind the wheel while impaired is one of the most dangerous things someone can do - but it's entirely preventable," GHSA CEO Jonathan Adkins said in the news release. “GHSA and Lyft continue to partner to help highlight how impaired driving endangers all Ohioans on the road and provide incentives to make the responsible choice to hail a ride.”
In Ohio, 56% of all motor vehicle deaths are OVI-related (Operating a Vehicle Impaired) OTSO said. In 2023, 725 people were killed in 672 drunk-driving crashes.
Thirteen people were killed in 12 crashes on Ohio's roadways during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend last year, according to the state traffic safety office, and almost half of those crashes involved a driver impaired by alcohol or drugs.
