When Alex Otte was 13 years previous, she was critically injured when she was hit by a drunk boater. She spent many weeks within the ICU and several other extra weeks in a wheelchair. Now, because the Nationwide President of Moms In opposition to Drunk Driving (MADD), she’s working to cease these preventable crashes for good.
“I knew I wished to be the final little woman it might ever occur to, and I wished to battle for that,” Otte informed ABC15 Arizona.
MADD has diminished drunk driving deaths by greater than 50 % and helped save greater than 400,000 lives by selling the significance of designating a non-drinking driver. But drunk and impaired driving continues to be the main reason behind demise on U.S. roadways, according to MADD.
Drunk driving and the ensuing crashes and fatalities are more prevalent during the holidays – particularly between Thanksgiving Eve and New 12 months’s Day – when there may be extra consuming and extra persons are on the roads.
“We would like everybody to remain secure and luxuriate in this festive time by ensuring plans for a chosen driver are a high precedence,” Otte mentioned.
So, this vacation season, individuals within the Phoenix East Valley will be capable of designate the Waymo Driver with a reduced journey between now and New 12 months’s Day.
Waymo operates a completely autonomous ride-hailing service within the Phoenix East Valley, and its complete fleet of autonomously pushed automobiles are displaying a purple ribbon throughout the holidays as a part of MADD’s thirty fifth Anniversary Tie One On for Security Vacation Marketing campaign. The marketing campaign encourages everybody to tie a purple ribbon – or extra not too long ago place purple ribbon magnets or decals – on their automobile as a reminder to all the time designate a non-drinking driver.
“We’ve got a really shared mission and that’s to finish drunk driving,” Otte mentioned of MADD’s four-year, ongoing partnership with Waymo. “Our aim is to provide individuals essentially the most choices to make the correct alternative.”
Tempe Police Officer Chris Phillips believes the expertise may have modified the course of his life. He was hit by a drunk driver whereas engaged on a DUI process power, and sustained severe accidents.
“If this expertise had been obtainable or she had had a plan to get dwelling, this might have by no means occurred,” Phillips mentioned.
The Waymo Driver is designed to soundly deal with all of the duties of driving, together with following visitors legal guidelines and respecting different highway customers, whereas individuals sit again and stay as passengers.
“We all know that Waymo being so handy on an app may give individuals no excuse for making the mistaken alternative,” Otte mentioned.
Otte mentioned MADD is grateful to Waymo for his or her ongoing partnership and for sharing the imaginative and prescient of zero deaths and 0 accidents attributable to drunk and drug-impaired driving.
“Everybody deserves to have enjoyable and get dwelling secure throughout the holidays,” mentioned Mauricio Peña, Waymo’s chief security officer in a press launch. “At Waymo, we’re proud to show purple ribbons on our complete fleet and provide a secure mode of transportation to our Waymo One riders in Phoenix and San Francisco this vacation season.”
As a part of the Tie One On for Security marketing campaign, Waymo is providing riders within the Phoenix East Valley 50% off an autonomous driving journey by means of New 12 months’s Day through the use of the promo code MADD21.
“You may have the ability to make the correct alternative,” Otte urged. “Make a plan earlier than the primary drink in order that all of us get to go dwelling safely and all of us get to go dwelling in a single piece.”
