SOS Safe Ride Community Guidelines

Our standards were developed to help ensure that everyone who is a part of the SOS Safe Ride
community feel safe, happy, and respected. While our mission focuses on ensuring every
passenger gets home safely after a night of drinking, our standards outline the behaviors and
actions that are appropriate for anyone who uses our program, including volunteers, drivers,
staff, and passengers.

Quite simply, our standards are to be respectful.
Below we’ve outlined some of the types of respect that we expect not only from our drivers, but from anyone who uses the
program. These standards are not all-encompassing, but addresses topics that we feel
extremely passionate about, as well as behavior for which we have zero tolerance. Failure to
comply with our standards could result in a suspension or termination of your ability to use our
program.

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Respect each other.

Be inclusive – SOS Safe Ride welcomes people from all walks of life, and we pride ourselves on
being a very diverse and inclusive community. Discrimination against a member of the SOS Safe
Ride community on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity,
physical or mental disability, mental condition, marital status, age, or sexual orientation will not
be tolerated by drivers or customers alike.

Be professional – Respecting privacy and personal space are paramount at SOS Safe Ride. It is
okay to be friendly and talkative, but drivers and passengers are not advised to express
romantic interest in each other. Sexual assault and sexual misconduct of any kind are strictly
prohibited. Additionally, there should never be physical contact between drivers and
passengers. Finally, drivers will never use personal information obtained about a passenger
using the program after the ride has concluded. Passengers are also not permitted to contact
drivers after the conclusion of their ride. Should a driver accidentally leave a personal item in a
passenger’s vehicle, a manager of SOS Safe Ride will contact the passenger directly. If a
passenger cannot locate an item in their vehicle, they should contact a member of the SOS Safe
Ride management.

Be kind – We understand that the influence of alcohol can bring various emotions out of
people, including happiness, sadness, or anger. While we recognize that it may be difficult to
control emotions while under the influence of alcohol, we expect that all patrons of SOS Safe
Ride remain kind and courteous to each other. All of the drivers at SOS Safe Ride are trained to
react and respond to the various emotions caused by a night of drinking, but verbal or physical
assault towards any member of the SOS Safe Ride community is not permitted. Should a
passenger become unruly, SOS Safe Ride drivers have the ability to end the service
immediately. Alternatively, a passenger can tell their driver to stop the service or contact the
SOS Safe Ride dispatch office if they feel they are experiencing any type of abuse from their
driver.

Respect the law.
Be safe – Drivers of SOS Safe Ride are never permitted to drive a vehicle while under the
influence of drugs or alcohol and are expected to obey all traffic laws. While we understand
that passengers in the community will likely be under the influence of alcohol, passengers must
refrain from requesting any activities from drivers that may be illegal, taboo, or simply
inappropriate. This includes but is not limited to encouraging drivers to disobey traffic laws,
having more guests than available seatbelts in the car, asking the drivers if it’s okay to have an
open container within the vehicle, or attempting to use an illegal substance during the service.
To be frank here…as a non-profit program that prevents breaking the law, we have a zero tolerance policy for any law breaking. 

Respect the program.
Be punctual – SOS Safe Ride drivers often go directly from dropping off a passenger to picking
up a new one throughout the night. The SOS Dispatch Office provides passengers with
approximate arrival times and drivers will let passengers know once they’ve arrived. We
understand that it takes time to wrap things up after a night of drinking, including saying bye to
family and friends, using the facilities, closing your tab, and finishing your drink. We ask that
our passengers factor in this time when requesting a ride as it can delay our drivers and
subsequent passengers while our drivers are waiting for the passengers to complete these
tasks.
Be communicative – Passengers are provided with various communications from SOS Safe Ride
from the moment they request their ride, including the estimated pick-up time and a
communication once the drivers have arrived. For our passengers, we understand that plans
change, and that drunk people tend to wander. We expect passengers to communicate with
the SOS Dispatch Team and their driver promptly if they decide to make a change to their
previously requested ride.

Be responsible for eachother – We know that our passengers are responsible as it pertains to refraining from drunk
driving (and we are proud of you for that!); however, the responsibility that we expect of our passengers goes
beyond ordering the ride. SOS Safe Ride drivers are not expected to babysit or take care of
passengers or their guests. We expect our passengers to be responsible for themselves and any
guest that rides with the passenger. Passengers are expected to remain awake and alert
throughout the duration of the ride. Additionally, if the guest of a passenger within the vehicle
falls asleep, the person who requested the ride is expected to accompany their guest to their
destination. SOS Safe Ride drivers can refuse service to those passengers or guests who are not
acting responsibly.
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Conclusion:

We’re proud of the Safe Ride community that has grown over the years but are always looking
for ways to improve our program. If you have an experience that you’d like to share with us,
positive or negative, please do not hesitate to reach out to a member of our management.

With Love,
SOS Safe Ride and The Safe Ride Foundation

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