Taxi apps including Uber, Lyft and Sidecar are playing a major role in reducing drunk-driving incidents, according to a new study by Uber and Mothers Against Drunk Driving released in time for the 2015 Super Bowl.
Among 807 adults in 19 Uber-operating cities polled by Benenson Strategy Group in December 2014, nearly 4 in 5 said friends were less likely to drive themselves home after drinking with the help of the taxi apps.
Also, 57% of transportation app users aged 21 and older said if taxi apps did not exist, they would "probably end up driving more after drinking at a bar or restaurant."
According to the survey, Uber ridership peaks in wee hours that are likely to be worst for drunken-driving incidents in cities such as Miami and Pittsburgh. During the recent New Year's Eve, three-quarters of Uber trips in Chicago were requested within 200 yards of an establishment with a liquor license.
The release of the survey in the run-up to the 2015 Super Bowl is deliberate, according to Uber's strategy chief David Plouffe because it is a day "millions will be at parties at bars," USA Today reported.
Plouffe said that from 3 p.m. to midnight ET on Feb. 1, Sunday, Uber will donate $1 to MADD for each trip taken when users enter the promo code ThinkandRide.
"There's no longer any excuse to drink and drive," said Plouffe, who used to work for President Barack Obama as his campaign manager.
Meanwhile, celebrities flocked in the evening of Jan. 31 to Arizona, where they performed and made appearances at pre-Super Bowl XLIX parties before the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks game, ABC News reported.
Among the celebrities are Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Rihanna, John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Steven Tyler, Drake and Mark Wahlberg.