What Does It Mean to be a Designated Driver?

Choosing a designated driver instead of driving while intoxicated is a simple way to save lives. Drunk driving accidents are entirely preventable, yet they are responsible for 30% of automotive fatalities and 32 deaths each day in the United States. The statistics are staggering, but they illustrate that assigning a designated driver should be a top priority whenever you’re planning to drink and do some traveling.

What is a designated driver?

Designated driver definitions can vary, but they all describe someone who abstains from drinking so they can drive others to and from a party, event, or anywhere alcohol is served up. The designated driver remains sober by refusing and abstaining from ALL alcohol or mind-altering substances. They have one job: keeping others safe by staying sober behind the wheel.

Harvard University launched its designated driver program in 1988. Within 6 years of the program’s creation, drunk driving fatalities had decreased by a whopping 30%. Within 10 years, designated drivers had saved over 50,000 lives, and that number has continued rising ever since. While these results are a significant step in the right direction, there is still much more work to be done.

Why is a designated driver important?

You may have seen the current “Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving” public service campaign, which touches on the dangers of driving after drinking even a small amount of alcohol. Driving with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08 or more is illegal, but a person can still be impaired before they reach the BAC limit.

Drinking and driving is not just dangerous and illegal; it’s also expensive. If someone is caught driving with a .08 BAC or higher, they will likely be arrested and charged with driving under the influence (DUI). A single DUI can cost a person thousands of dollars in court fees and make it illegal for them to drive. In other words, it’s always best to choose a designated driver.

Designated drivers are nearly universally respected, as their role is to get everyone home safely. If you volunteer as a designated driver, you’re bound to receive praise from friends, peers, family members, law enforcement officers, and even bartenders. However, people don’t become designated drivers just for the respect — they do it to help keep others alive.