Monday, August 10, 2015

Designated-Driver Service Gets SEALs Home Safely for Free


Navy SEAL Fitness Prep
VIRGINIA BEACH -- Call it a contingency plan: If a Navy SEAL ever finds himself out on the town in Virginia Beach and unable to safely drive home, he can get a free lift with MetroScoot, a local designated-driver service.

The arrangement started six years ago as a taxpayer-funded program for members of the most elite SEAL unit, Naval Special Warfare Development Group, or DEVGRU. But after commanders noticed a drop in drunken driving incidents among operators and support personnel at the unit -- known more commonly as SEAL Team 6 -- they worked with the Navy SEAL Foundation to expand the free-ride service to every SEAL team on the East Coast.
The Navy spent about $120,000 on MetroScoot rides for sailors at DEVGRU before the foundation stepped in. The program is now paid for by the Virginia Beach-based charity, which "provides immediate and ongoing support and assistance to the Naval Special Warfare Community and its families," according to its website.
A Navy spokesman confirmed the initiative's existence last week after fielding questions from The Virginian-Pilot. Soon after, the SEAL Foundation added information about the "MetroScoot Safe Ride program" to its website.
Other than the fact that it's never been publicized before now, the program is not unlike other efforts over the years aimed at combating drunken driving among the ranks, though most command designated-driver initiatives rely on volunteers or require sailors to chip in to pay for rides home. The overarching goal of such initiatives is to help service members "make good choices and prevent career-ending or life-threatening situations," said Cmdr. Chris Servello, a spokesman for the chief of naval personnel.

The Navy got rid of one of its more generous designated-driver initiatives a couple of years ago. Beginning in 2008, sailors stationed near San Diego -- including SEALs based in Coronado -- were issued "Arrive Alive" cards, good for free taxi rides home from the bar. But after a spike in usage and cost to taxpayers, there was no change in the rate of drunken driving incidents among sailors, according to a 2013 memo announcing the cancelation.

Here, the MetroScoot program has been credited with helping reduce drunken driving incidents by 60 percent since its implementation at DEVGRU. The command of about 1,300 sailors averages three drunken driving incidents per year, down from five a few years ago, said Lt. Cmdr.Mark Walton, a spokesman for Naval Special Warfare Command in San Diego.

"The program enables personnel to act responsibly in the event they find themselves without a safe ride home," Walton said.

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Here's how it works: If a SEAL is unable to drive himself home, he can call MetroScoot and show a command-issued card. Either a driver will show up on a scooter, throw the motorbike in the SEAL's trunk and drive him home, or more likely, two MetroScoot drivers will arrive in a car, and one of them will drive the SEAL's vehicle while the other driver follows.
Getting the client's car home is key and part of the reason the service helps reduce drunken driving, said Brian Wells, the 33-year-old general manager of MetroScoot. One of the company's slogans is "One less headache in the morning."

"The trouble of leaving a car behind is one of the major reasons people decide to drive after drinking," said Wells, explaining the advantage he offers over taxis or ride-sharing services. "Often the ultimate deciding factor before someone makes a decision to get behind the wheel after drinking is, 'I need my car in the morning.' "

The service is available to anyone in Virginia Beach. For those without a prepaid card, it costs $10 per pickup and then $4 a mile.

The Pilot learned of the free rides for SEALs from an anonymous source who complained that it encouraged unhealthy behavior. Walton said there's no evidence that offering sailors a ride home leads them to drink more.

Retired SEAL Dave Cooper, a former command master chief at DEVGRU, said he heard from a few critics after he helped implement the MetroScoot program, including a lawyer at Naval Special Warfare Command.

"He maintained that we were 'enabling' drinking," Cooper wrote in an email. "My comeback to him was simple: If you can prove to me that without this program, young single men will stay home on a Friday and Saturday night, then I might agree with you. But the fact is, they'll go out to the bars, and while they might have good intentions of not drinking and driving, with the first sip of alcohol, reason goes out the window."

The command-issued card is intended as a backup plan, Cooper said. That way, if a guy's designated driver bails on him, there should be no hesitation to call for a ride.

Although he believes the number of alcohol-related offenses is lower at DEVGRU than at other Navy commands, Cooper said losing even one operator because of a DUI represents a significant waste of money and talent. The Navy estimates it spends as much as a half-million dollars to train one SEAL, and perhaps twice that for the few who make it to DEVGRU.

Protecting that investment is a wise use of money, Cooper said: "My motto, borrowed from a friend, was always one of spending tax dollars as if they were my own, and always remembering that they weren't."

Now that the program is paid for through charitable donations, it's a no-brainer, Cooper said.

Navy SEAL Foundation CEO Robin King declined to comment, deferring all questions to the Navy. She did not reply to an email asking how much the charity has spent on the rides.

Wells didn't wish to specifically discuss his company's arrangement with the SEAL commands.

"We hold all of our clients' confidentiality in high regards," he said.
And another point: "Our clients aren't usually puking or passing out on the street. That's a misconception. Most of the people we pick up have had a few drinks and don't want to risk driving home. It doesn't take much to blow a .08," he said, referring to the legal blood-alcohol concentration limit to drive in Virginia.

He emphasized that he conducts thorough background checks and random drug tests on his drivers.

More people should consider their options before getting behind the wheel, Wells said.

"I'd like to think we've saved at least one life among the tens of thousands of people we've gotten home over the years."