Harris County residents can start the new year safely with free rides from Lyft

A lot of people are staying home this New Year's Eve, but if you're planning to go out then Lyft and TxDOT’s Houston Traffic Safety Coalition want to make sure you're getting around safely.

They're giving Harris County residents free rides on December 31 (and into January 1) in the form of a code that's good for a $10 credit.

But you might want to sign up for yours sooner rather than later — there are only 3,000 discount codes available, and when they're gone, they're gone.

This is the second year for the program — which last year was paired with additional initiatives such as no parking meter enforcement by the City of Houston, AAA's Tipsy Tow Program, and Metro's Free Rides — and officials say it's even more critical this year than last.

Recently released National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data for the first half of 2020 found that while traffic volume was down significantly, motor vehicle fatalities did not fall at similar rates.

Drivers who were on the road during this period were also more likely to engage in risky behaviors such as speeding, drunk driving and not buckling up.

Harris County consistently yields the highest number of alcohol-related crash fatalities of any U.S. county from 2014 to present. In 2019, Harris County had 156 impaired driving fatalities.

NHTSA examined fatal and serious injury data collected at five trauma centers during this same time period and found more than half of drivers tested positive for at least one active drug, including alcohol, marijuana, or opioids.

Joining HTSC and Lyft in this initiative is the Governors Highway Safety Association, Silver Eagle Distributers Houston, and the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

Sign up for your Lyft discount now and you will be emailed the code the week of New Year's Eve.