With just a few days remaining before the end of 2016, most residents are either in the process of making New Year’s Eve plans, or they’ve already set their plans.
If you’re going out to one of the many awesome celebrations around Jacksonville, it’s extremely important to also make plans for getting home safely.
Drunk driving is always a big issue on New Year’s Eve – or more specifically, during the early hours of New Year’s Day.
In Jacksonville, there’s really no excuse for driving home drunk on New Year’s Eve. Local personal injury firm (and highway billboard hoarder) Farah & Farah has, for the second year in a row, promised to pay for cab rides for anyone who signs up for one online.
“It’s our absolute pleasure to be able to offer this to our community for the second year in a row,” says Eddie Farah.
The firm offers free cab rides, and pays gratuities to the drivers, as part of their Keep Jax Safe initiative. They partner with local cab companies Checker Cab and Coastal Cab for the evening, in hopes of curtailing the amount of drunk driving incidents around the First Coast.
Here’s how it works: you sign up online at keepjaxsafe.org, then receive a unique code. On New Year’s Eve, when you’re ready to go home, you call one of the two Jacksonville cab companies and give them your code. Checker Cab serves the Jacksonville area, and can be reached at 904-854-9391. Coastal Cab serves Jax Beach and can be reached at 904-246-9999.
Note that you have to sign up online ahead of time in order to get a free ride. Also, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to find a cab immediately due to the significantly increased number of calls.
Don’t want to take a cab? Farah & Farah’s program isn’t the only option for getting home on New Year’s Eve.
If you live within range of the Skyway, you’ll be able to make use of it that night. Jacksonville Transportation Authority announced that it will keep the Skyway running all day on New Year’s Eve, all the way through 3:00 AM on New Year’s Day.
The JTA lot at 1071 W. Bay St. will be open for parking on New Year’s Eve as well.
Uber is always an option, but beware of surge pricing. Be prepared to potentially empty your wallet depending on the demand and availability of drivers.
If all else fails, there’s always the old-fashioned method: call a friend. Call as many as you can until one answers. Will they be annoyed? Probably.
Will they still make sure you get home safely, just as you would do for them? Yes.
