SAFE AT HOME - Protecting Our Community Against Drunk Drivers

Quiet and quaint by day, come sundown, our town comes alive. Packed with lively restaurants and bars, many open well past midnight, late-night patrons living beyond walking distance of Doylestown’s heart may pause to wonder, as they dig around for their car keys... Am I okay to drive?

In conversations with friends and associates, Gordon Johnson listened to one story after another from those who’d made the wrong decision. When asked why they’d chosen to drive home, the DUI offenders explained they’d had no one to pick them up – no available family member or friend and no cab company providing service past midnight. “What I heard was unbelievable,” Johnson recalls. And what he heard set him on a very important road.

After talking with former offenders, scanning the local police blotter sections that document DUI offenses and spending countless hours contemplating what could be done to curb the problem, Johnson looked toward launching a service that provided safe rides for anyone in need. In 1999, he literally took to the streets in the form of Designated Driving Services. Recently, Johnson’s efforts caught the attention of State Senator Charles McIlhinney, who asked him to extend his service area to Doylestown in response to the growing DUI problem.

Based in Horsham, the nonprofit organization pledges that every individual in Bucks and Montgomery Counties should be afforded the opportunity to get home safe. For Johnson, the concept is quite simple: “If they’re at a house party, an establishment or an event, they give us a call, and we come pick them up,” he says. Designated Driving Services will accept reservations in advance, as well as last-minute calls with only a 15-to-20-minute wait for the Doylestown area.

In return, Johnson asks little of his clients. “I’m not in it for the money,” he says, adding that he runs the service in addition to a full-time job. “I’m in it to save lives and take care of people.” Instead of charging a fee, riders are simply asked to make a donation to keep the drivers on the road.

Johnson admits running a nonprofit is not easy. The organization is largely funded by Johnson’s personal funds and relies on free advertising and a small team of volunteers, all of who are subject to extensive background and criminal checks. But ultimately, the responsibility of continuing to provide safe rides to the community is up to Johnson alone.

“The problem is I’m only one person,” he says. “I’ve been here since 1999, and I still have people come up and say, ‘I’ve never heard of you.’” To spread the word, Johnson engages the community by spreading fliers, holding fund-raisers and family events and even going door to door. After receiving praise from his clients for his services and professions of gratitude, Johnson’s pledge gains strength. “That’s what we’re here for,” he says. “Feedback like that is what makes me keep running the organization.”

Looking ahead, Johnson plans to heavily promote a designated drivers contract program aimed squarely at parents, their children and young adults in the Bucks and Montgomery areas. “We’re trying to reach all 600,00 households,” Johnson explains. Under the terms of the agreement, parents would agree to give their children a ride when they need it, no questions asked. If the parent cannot provide transportation, they agree to call Designated Driving Services. To help in the efforts, Johnson is vigorously working to obtain a $250,000 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project.

He’s also teamed with local politicians again. Johnson recently testified in Harrisburg in support of State Senator Stewart Greenleaf’s “Safe Ride Home” program. The legislation would require the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board establish guidelines for a statewide program, perhaps even requiring bar owners to arrange safe transportation for visibly intoxicated patrons. But Johnson is facing a lack of support from several local establishments. So far, owners perceive the idea as an added cost, he says.

Without them on board, many customers will remain unaware of the services Johnson provides to the community. While his customer base varies, ranging anywhere from a handful of calls to 40 in a weekend, Johnson insists the community must decide how important safe rides are and encourage bar owners to act responsibly. “Patrons are the ones who pay them,” he says. “They keep them in business. If they don’t get on the ball and say, ‘We need to keep our roads safe,’ it’s not going to work.”

Go online at designateddriverservices.org