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Safe Rides Unlimited is a 501 (c) (3) charity created to reduce drunk driving by providing those going out for a night on the town with a safe alternative to driving themselves and their friends — affordable, round-trip transportation in a limousine or other luxury vehicle. Safe Rides rewards those who use the service with VIP treatment for a great night out.By making a meager per-person, tax deductible contribution (the cost of a typical cover charge), groups of five or more can secure a round-trip Safe Ride in a limousine or other luxury vehicle, to member clubs, bars, and restaurants, as well as to concerts, sporting events, and other special outings. Booking through Safe Rides means that the group will receive VIP red carpet upon arrival at their destination. In most cases, that means avoiding long lines and cover charges. Begun in Northern New Jersey, Safe Rides has expanded to New York City and more recently to Virginia, Connecticut, and Miami, Florida. While focusing on getting potential drunk drivers off the road by rewarding them for leaving their car keys at home, Safe Rides has a secondary purpose: to improve the local economy for participating hospitality and transportation industry affiliates. The business model of Safe Rides is starting to get results and get noticed. Recently, the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly honored the charity for its efforts at reducing drunken driving incidents. Signed by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the General Assembly, the joint legislative resolution was presented to Safe Rides Unlimited Founder and President Amanat Moe Sattar at a special ceremony. Safe Rides Founder Amanat Mohib (Moe) Sattar discovered his entrepreneurial skills at a very young age. At 13, he established a food-serving network at his family’s business. At 20, he established a web-based business serving the needs of club goers. Through his dealings with the hospitality industry, Mr. Sattar recognized early on that there is a serious need to provide safety for bar/club goers, to teach responsibility about drinking, and to not mix drinking and driving. It became a passion of his life when Mr. Sattar lost two of his friends, both of whom were killed in drunken driving accidents. He founded Safe Rides Unlimited a 501 (c) (3) organization to provide safe rides to students. He purchased one 15-person van and started personally going to college campuses and providing round trip safe rides to students that were going out to a bar or club. Mr. Sattar was so passionate about preventing drunken driving tragedies that he would spend hours every night waiting on college campuses to deter students from drinking and driving. The first week he provided round trip safe rides to 6 people. The next week the number jumped to 19, reaffirming Mr. Sattar’s belief that if people were provided with real options as alternatives to driving drunk they would use these options. The idea and efforts of Mr. Sattar were so genuine that the students took notice and started spreading the word amongst their peers. Based upon the support of the student communities across NJ, Mr. Sattar opened his Safe Ride services to the general public. The new non-profit prides itself on providing realistic safe ride solutions to over 800 people every week, keeping 800 plus potential drunk drivers off NJ roads.
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