NEW HAVEN -- The ride sharing service Uber and Mothers Against Drunk Drivers want people celebrating St. Patrick's Day to drink responsibly and avoid driving drunk.
St. Patrick’s Day is one of the deadliest days of the year for drunk driving incidents, according to MADD.
“We want you to pledge to not drink and drive,” said Johanna Krebs, with Mothers Against Drunk Driving CT. “We want you to pledge to plan ahead. We want you to pledge to designate a non-drinking driver."
“We encourage everybody to pull out their smart phones, one tap of a button, request a ride and get home safely,” said Matt Powers, general manager of Uber CT.
After downloading the Uber app, enter the code MADDCT into your smart phone to receive $25 off your first ride. That will also trigger a $5 donation to MADD CT.
Hartford and New Haven hold their parades this coming weekend which draw a combined 360,000 spectators in the two cities over both Saturday and Sunday. New Haven's parade is actually the sixth oldest in the nation! However, with the revelry, bar owners are also hoping for those celebrating to be responsible.
“The last thing we want is people to come here and then leave and go and hurt themselves or hurt somebody else,” said Eddie Higgins, the owner of the Trinity Bar & Restaurant, who has ordered 500 pounds of corned beef for the special day.
You can watch both the Hartford and New Haven St. Patrick's Day parades live on-air and online with coverage from FOX 61. Learn more here.