Scooter Patrol, a nonprofit organization that picks up intoxicated people at bars and drives them home, has closed due to financial hardship. The founder of Scooter Patrol, Anthony Panzica, thinks that the company has kept about 12,000 drunk drivers off the road. He started the company after he saw drunk people getting in their cars to drive home. At its peak, the company had about 15 volunteers that drove around beach cities and picked up people that needed rides home. It operated mainly on donations from sponsors and riders. When business started slowing down because of people carpooling, sponsors left and Scooter Patrol had to close. Panzica tried to get local government support but the government said they could not help because of liability issues.
Scooter Patrol is a great idea and it is extremely unfortunate that services like this cannot survive the deteriorating economy. Keeping 12,000 drunk drivers off the road is a tremendous achievement and probably saved so many lives. Hopefully, other programs like this can be implemented throughout California, thereby reducing the number of DUIs and drunk driving accidents that occur. If you are charged with a DUI, call an experienced Orange County DUI defense attorney to assist you.
If you have any questions about driving under the influence, or about your own charges, please call Orange County defense attorney William Weinberg, at 949.474.8009 (Irvine office) or 714.834.1400 (Orange office).