Drunk driving is killing NJ residents so MADD and Uber are teaming up

🍺 MADD and Uber launch Alcohol Awareness Month campaign

🍺 26% of all traffic fatalities in New Jersey are caused by impaired driving

🍺 Personal injury attorney says drunk crashes are on the rise

Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Uber are partnering this April to encourage New Jersey residents to get a ride home instead of drinking and driving.

Of the 685 fatal crashes on New Jersey roads in 2022, impaired driving was responsible for 177 — or 26% — of them, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

Uber has agreed to match donations to MADD throughout April up to $25,000, doubling every contribution's impact. April is Alcohol Awareness Month.

They've also launched a new ad campaign pointing out the dangers of drunk driving.

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New Jersey attorney says drunk crashes are on the rise

Steven Benvenisti, a MADD ambassador, says drunk driving crashes and fatalities have been on the rise in recent years — and these deaths are completely preventable.

He's also a survivor of a drunk crash who now works as a personal injury attorney with the firm Davis, Saperstein, and Salomon in Teaneck.

Benvenisti spent two weeks in a coma after a drunk driver hit him in 1989; his legs were crushed. He underwent 15 surgeries and was hospitalized for over six months.

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Despite significant odds that he would never wake up, he now runs every day. And he fights for victims of drunk crashes.

"Sadly, usually one out of every three crashes that I handle are caused by drunk or impaired drivers. That's not only stayed the same, it's increased somewhat over the years. And it doesn't really come as a surprise to me," Benvenisti said.

He said two out of three people will be impacted by impaired driving in their lifetimes, which is all the more reason to use a rideshare.

Benvenisti said planning ahead and having a designated driver, whether it's a friend or one of Uber's 7 million drivers, can save a life.

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