Impaired driver campaign launched

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(Arianne Starnes)
Pedestrians walk by a hybrid checker yellow cab that was on display for a kick off to the 4th of July Tipsy? Taxi! Campaign on Thursday June 26, 2008 to reduce drunk-driving on Maryland's roads at Hard Rock Cafe in Baltimore.

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Debbie Hardy shivers at the thought of firecrackers exploding on the 4th of July.

For her it’s a grim reminder of a time drunk drivers are even more likely to take to the roads.

Hardy knows this all too well and recalled the heartache of losing her 13-year-old daughter Janet, during a news conference AAA Mid-Atlantic held jointly Thursday with the Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration and Yellow Cab.

The event, featuring Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown among Hardy and other guest speakers, announced the third annual 4th of July Tipsy?Taxi! campaign.

“It’s been 1,705 days since I lost my daughter,” said Brown, who struggled to constrain her emotions. “Drunk driving is the most vicious crime I can think of. Drunk drivers choose to drive never considering the impact their actions could have.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 659 traffic-related fatalities were recorded during the 2006 July 4 holiday period. Of those, 37 percent involved a motorist with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher.

Brown said people who have been drinking and know they shouldn’t drive should use the taxi program. Meanwhile, area law enforcement agencies will have thousands of officers to cover drunk-driving check points.

“One of the simplest ways for a person to prevent tragedy on our roads is to refrain from driving drunk,” Brown said. “There’s absolutely no excuse for it -- especially when there’s a free ride readily available.”

AAA spokeswoman Ragina Averella said July 4 is synonymous with drunk driving and that every year hundreds of Americans are killed on roadways as the country celebrates its independence.

She said AAA’s program, which distributes information about the Tipsy? Taxi! program to restaurants and bars in Baltimore, is modeled after a similar initiative in Washington, D.C., and is catching on in other parts of the country.

“Since our inception we have provided more than 700 free rides for impaired drivers over the July 4th weekend and various other holidays,” Averella said.

However, “despite all of the awareness, there’s often too many people who fail to recognize the dangers associated with drunk and drugged driving and, as a result lives are lost every day.”

drowley@baltimoreexaminer.com

The Tipsy?Taxi! service will be in operation as follows:

• from 8 p.m., July 3 to 4 a.m., July 4
• 4 p.m. , July 4 to 4 a.m. July 5
• 4 p.m. July 5 to 4 a.m. July 6
• The Tipsy?Taxi! hotline number is 877-963-TAXI
• The taxi rides home are free up to $50; the passenger pays the balance.

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