SCHWEINFURT, Germany -- An initiative here aimed at curbing a spike in drunken driving cases by providing a vehicle pick-up service is set to get underway Dec. 14 and 15.
Armed Forces Against Drunk Driving, or AADD, is a private organization whose top priority is to save lives and reduce the rate of DUIs in the Schweinfurt area, said Lt. Col. Mitch Butterworth, chaplain for the 7th Theater Tactical Signal Brigade in Schweinfurt, who has taken the lead in building an Armed Forces Against Drunk Driving chapter in Schweinfurt.
The program offers free transportation for only those individuals who have driven their own vehicle, but are too intoxicated to drive home, according to the organization's promotional flyer.
The confidential service is available Friday and Saturday nights from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. and is offered to all DOD cardholders.
To use the service, simply dial any of the AADD call center numbers at 0174-804-3898 or 0174-810-7577.
According to Stacey Sadler, AADD communications coordinator, the program works like this. If an individual has driven to a location where he then consumes alcohol, he would then have the option to call the AADD hotline. AADD operators would respond and dispatch a vehicle with two drivers, who then drive to the caller's location -- most likely a bar or club. One of the AADD drivers then drives the intoxicated person and his or her vehicle home.
The program is not geared to provide rides to pedestrians, said Sadler.
Modeled after the AADD that operates in Kaiserslautern where it has proved successful there, the program will provide Soldiers consuming alcohol on weekend nights with a free and confidential vehicle pick-up service.
More volunteers are needed to answer phones and drive vehicles for pick-up. To get involved, call 0173-794-2998 or 0160-987-98955, or visit the Schweinfurt AADD Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SchweinfurtAADD.
Social Sharing