Too drunk to drive back home? Italy to offer free taxi rides for party-goers
Italy taxi rides: “Free taxis at the end of the night for those who have drunk too much,” Matteo Salvini wrote on the social media platform X.
Italy is trialling a plan for free taxi rides for party-goers aiming to cut down on the drunk driving and curb deadly accidents. The pilot project will run until mid-September at six nightclubs around the country- from Puglia to Tuscany and Veneto. Under the scheme, people who appear too drunk to drive when they exit the venues will take an alcohol test. If they are over the limit, a taxi will be called to take them home. The funding for the scheme is being provided by the transport ministry as the scheme has been pushed by Matteo Salvini, Italy’s transport minister, deputy prime minister and leader of the hard-Right League party.
“Free taxis at the end of the night for those who have drunk too much,” Matteo Salvini wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
It is “a practical initiative aimed at preventing danger and tragedy on the roads”, he said, adding that fines and laws were not enough “to stop the slaughter on the roads, we need to involve everyone in a plan of prevention.
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Drink driving represents a “serious problem” in Italy, according to a 2020 report by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) but surveys have showed that the level of acceptance of drink driving in Italy is high compared to other EU countries.
Appreciation for the plan
Outside one nightclub, near the town of Jesolo in the Veneto region, a young man named Marco told the newspaper Il Gazzettino, “I think it’s a good idea because there are so many accidents. People go out dancing and they drink. This experiment could finally contain the problem.”
Samuele Bucciol, the owner of the nightclub, said that 21 people were taken away by taxis during the scheme’s first night, adding, “I’m really happy that the government has finally given a bit of thought to us as a sector because often in the media we get a hard time. It’s an intelligent initiative. People come here to have fun, they want to forget their problems for a bit, and maybe they drink too much. The taxis can take them home safely."
