Free Van Service for Revelers Expanded

A free van service for intoxicated St. Patrick’s Day revelers will be expanded from a San Fernando Valley program to a citywide project this year.

Sponsored by the Los Angeles Police Department and Budget Rent-A-Car of Southern California, the fourth annual van service program will give party-goers a safe alternative to driving home tipsy.

Officer Tom Souza of the LAPD’s Valley Traffic Division started the program as a way to cut back on the number of drunk-driving incidents on St. Patrick’s Day, one of the biggest drinking nights of the year, and to parallel the successful programs he had heard about in other countries, according to Officer Gil Ramos, who is helping Souza supervise the program this year.

The program has been so successful, LAPD has decided to start similar efforts on a citywide basis. Last year, off-duty police officers who volunteer their time drove 119 people home. There was only one arrest for drunk driving and no injury accidents on that night in the Valley last year.

“If we hadn’t had the program, it would have been like turning loose 119 potential DUIs,” Ramos said.

From 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Thursday, people who have had too much to drink can get a free ride home by calling the nearest police station. More than 500 bars and restaurants throughout Los Angeles will participate in the community awareness and safety program by posting flyers with police phone numbers. The rental car company has donated 15 passenger vans to the program.