HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Revelers who decide to imbibe can enjoy the holiday season without worrying about getting pulled over, with a little help from the Safe Drive Home program.
The Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center, in partnership with Tohge Inc., a nonprofit peer-based recovery group, will be providing a designated driver service.
“There’s really no reason to drink and drive,” GBHWC Director Theresa Arriola said Thursday during a meeting of the Guam Health Planning Council.
“We have a program out here that is going to help you get home safely if you’re not able to identify a designated driver in advance,” she added.
Post files indicate that over the years there have been a number of DUI-related fatalities and injuries.
“In 2016, there were 55 crash incidents involving DUI. By 2018, the number was 137. In 2016, there were 16 DUIs with personal injuries. By 2019, there were 25. In 2016, there were zero DUI-related facilities. In 2019, there were three,” according to the text of a bill filed in the 37th Guam Legislature.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has said, “every day, about 32 people in the U.S. die in drunk driving crashes.”
On Guam, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol level of or exceeding 0.08%. Drunken driving can result in jail time or worse, death.
The Safe Drive Home program is meant to ensure that those under the influence of alcohol get home safely. The designated drivers will be from Tohge Inc., which can be reached at 671-787-9276 or 671-686-9276.
The free program is operational from 6 p.m. though 6 a.m. from Friday, Dec. 22, 2023, through Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024.
Guam Police Department officers man a DUI checkpoint on April 24, 2019, in Hagåtña.
