Spring Break
Proposed program would give rides home to URI students after drinking
Christopher Barrett
Issue date: 3/23/05 Section: News
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03/23/05 - In response to Rhode Island having the highest percentage of traffic-related deaths due to alcohol in the nation, a group of University of Rhode Island students are proposing Rhody Rides, a $66,280 program to provide students with rides home after drinking.
"We believe Rhode Island has terrible driving statistics," organizer Judy Duhamel said.
She cited statistics from Mothers Against Drunk Driving that show that in 2003, 55 percent of all traffic accidents in Rhode Island involved alcohol.
The program would operate Thursday through Saturday from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Students in Narragansett who cannot safely drive will be able to call student volunteers at headquarters and request a ride home. Headquarters would then dispatch one of six cars, rented through Enterprise, to pick them up. For added safety, only trained 21-year-old student volunteers would drive and a member of the opposite gender would accompany each.
The proposed program is closely modeled after a similar program at Texas A&M University that has provided over 60,000 rides.
Duhamel, a student senator, said she plans to introduce a bill at tonight's URI Student Senate meeting asking for a referendum to increase the student activities tax by $8 next year to help fund program costs such as renting the cars, purchasing staff shirts, communications equipment, insurance and other items. The $8 would be in addition to the $7 increase students approved in February's senate election.
Senate President Kevin Lopes said he is hesitant to support such a costly program.
"Increasing the student activities tax is a very serious matter," Lopes said. "We already planned to go to the [Rhode Island] Board of Governors [for Higher Education] with this [$7] increase. I don't know how susceptible the Board will be to two tax increases."
President-elect Pat Mills expressed similar concerns.
"I support the program," Mills said, but "if we go back to the students and ask them for another increase, I don't think that's fair ... unfortunately [Rhody Rides] came to the student senate a little late."
"We believe Rhode Island has terrible driving statistics," organizer Judy Duhamel said.
She cited statistics from Mothers Against Drunk Driving that show that in 2003, 55 percent of all traffic accidents in Rhode Island involved alcohol.
The program would operate Thursday through Saturday from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Students in Narragansett who cannot safely drive will be able to call student volunteers at headquarters and request a ride home. Headquarters would then dispatch one of six cars, rented through Enterprise, to pick them up. For added safety, only trained 21-year-old student volunteers would drive and a member of the opposite gender would accompany each.
The proposed program is closely modeled after a similar program at Texas A&M University that has provided over 60,000 rides.
Duhamel, a student senator, said she plans to introduce a bill at tonight's URI Student Senate meeting asking for a referendum to increase the student activities tax by $8 next year to help fund program costs such as renting the cars, purchasing staff shirts, communications equipment, insurance and other items. The $8 would be in addition to the $7 increase students approved in February's senate election.
Senate President Kevin Lopes said he is hesitant to support such a costly program.
"Increasing the student activities tax is a very serious matter," Lopes said. "We already planned to go to the [Rhode Island] Board of Governors [for Higher Education] with this [$7] increase. I don't know how susceptible the Board will be to two tax increases."
President-elect Pat Mills expressed similar concerns.
"I support the program," Mills said, but "if we go back to the students and ask them for another increase, I don't think that's fair ... unfortunately [Rhody Rides] came to the student senate a little late."
