Driving drunk is never OK. Even driving after just a couple of drinks can be dicey (see my series on my experience with a DUI). So, why risk it? With so many options to get you home safely after a night out on the town, it is foolish to even consider driving after drinking.
Not long ago, Budweiser launched a program called, “Give a Damn.” The program is geared toward raising awareness of the options available to avoid drunk driving. In the program, Bud provides free rides with on-demand car service Lyft.
The program was so successful that the brand is extending the offer just in time for the Halloween weekend and the holidays, a peak time when drunk driving is at its highest; Budweiser and Lyft are stepping up their efforts to reduce drunk driving by delivering more rides to help more people get home safely.
Starting on Thursday, October 27, the first 6,000 adults 21+ (an increase of 1,000 rides weekly) who obtain a ride code from Budweiser’s Facebook page (at 2:00pm every Thursday) can now redeem it for a Lyft ride home on Thursday as well as Friday or Saturday during peak party hours now through the end of the year (10 p.m. – 2 a.m.).
Additionally, to account for the high instances of drunk driving on Halloween, Budweiser is extending that weekend’s 6,000 rides to be redeemable by an extra day from Thursday, Oct. 27 through Monday, Oct. 31.
Last month, the companies announced a partnership to provide safe rides home in New York, Colorado, Illinois and Florida. Now, the partnership has officially expanded to Washington, DC. The partnership, the largest ever of its kind between a beverage company and a ridesharing company aimed at reducing drunk driving, pledges up to 90,000 safe rides home.
To complement its partnership with Lyft, Budweiser is also unveiling a cheeky ad featuring Helen Mirren, in which she calls out drunk drivers with her signature charm and tone of voice. The spot, titled “Give A Damn,” is on the Budweiser YouTube page and offers a slightly new take on last year’s popular Super Bowl ad starring the British actress, but the message is the same: Budweiser wants drinkers to #GiveADamn and take personal responsibility for not driving drunk.
Watch the new video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vraaQNsBB38
