The Safe Ride Foundation, Frederick County’s only anti-drunk driving nonprofit, has an exciting announcement. The foundation’s local ride program, SOS Safe Ride, the mobile app that promises to get you and your vehicle home safe, recently launched an upgraded membership option known as Safe Ride PLUS! For those who use SOS Safe Ride regularly, the intuitive donation platform is now offering the Frederick community unlimited rides for just $39.00 a month. From Frederick to New Market, Thurmont to Mt. Airy, no matter where you go in Frederick County, it’s free and lightning fast!
The SOS Safe Ride app began operating in Frederick County back in 2015, with The Safe Ride Foundation now celebrating four years of impaired driving prevention. In fighting drunk driving in our area, the foundation recognized that one of the biggest challenges for consumers in using a ride-share service was having to leave their car behind. “When I started SOS Safe Ride here in Frederick, I wanted to fix a problem that I ran into when going out. I may have needed my car the next day, or simply didn’t want to leave it downtown and potentially receive a ticket, or worse, a tow. Most of us living in the area have that issue because we’re pretty spread out here in Frederick County; it’s the largest county in Maryland, after all. So when you go out and wind up leaving your car, trying to get back to pick it up the next day can be a hassle, an annoying one at that,” explains Wayne Dorsey, president of SOS Safe Ride. “As great and convenient other rideshare operators can be, a shortcoming was that they couldn’t solve that issue.”
The SOS model of bringing two drivers provides a safe solution to this problem. Since launching, SOS has given over 9,500 safe rides home to county residents and their vehicles, contributing in part to a 14 percent decrease of Frederick County DUI-related arrests since 2016, according to local law enforcement.
With the upgraded app and unlimited ride program, SOS Safe Ride serves ALL of Frederick County. “Our nonprofit has brought on significantly more drivers. More drivers along with the upgraded mobile app will allow SOS to reach driver numbers we couldn’t have originally anticipated,” said Wayne Dorsey. “This means we’re prepared to expand this program in a big way and effectively double the number of safe rides home, significantly reducing DUI arrests.”
SOS Safe Ride is also well known for putting on various shows and engagements in and around Frederick, such as The “Over the Limit” Comedy Festival at the Weinberg Center for the Arts, the Good Ole Days Fair at Blue Sky Bar & Grill, and of course the Pump Your Brakes Booth that you can find downtown on Market Street every other Friday during the summertime!
SOS Safe Ride is committed to combating driving under the influence by creating easy, safe, and reliable solutions for the Frederick County community. Frederick County residents (exclusively Frederick County residents) can use the low-cost program as they go, or take advantage of Safe Ride Plus, providing unlimited safe rides home for a small monthly donation to the cause. Learn more about the organization, its mission, and how you can volunteer by visiting www.sossaferide.org.
