Harris County Sheriff’s Office officials are launching an initiative to prevent impaired driving crashes and fatalities in the county over the Memorial Day weekend.

“Memorial Day weekend should be a time to honor and reflect, not one marked by tragedy,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a May news release.

Explained

The sheriff’s office is partnering with national nonprofit organization Responsibility.org and shared-ride company Lyft to offer $15 in free ride credits to residents in need of a sober ride home.

“This is about providing solutions and saving lives,” Responsibility.org Executive Director Leslie Kimball said in a news release. “We know that prevention works best when communities come together—that’s exactly what we’re doing here in Harris County.”

Starting May 23 at 7 p.m. until May 26 at 11:59 p.m., community members can use promo code “HCSOMEMORIALDAY” to receive the $15 Lyft ride credits. For those utilizing the credit, certain restrictions include how the ride must start and end within Harris County, and is limited to one use per rider while supplies last, according to the news release.

By the numbers

At least 32% of U.S. traffic fatalities in 2022 were alcohol-impaired driving crashes, according to data from Responsibility.org. Whereas more than 1,800 alcohol-impaired fatalities took place in Texas in 2022, compared to the 13,524 in the country.

Digging deeper

Harris County leads the country in drunk and drugged driving deaths, according to the news release. While the ride share options will be available throughout the weekend, HCSO deputies will also be conducting high-visibility enforcement which includes no-refusal blood draws and field sobriety tests across the county.

“This partnership allows us to provide residents with a real, safe alternative to driving impaired,” Gonzales said. “Plan ahead, use the code and let’s all get home safely.”