Throughout downtown St. Louis, new signs can be found on the sidewalks and taxi stands.
The signs are part of a public awareness campaign that was launched Wednesday by the Missouri Department of Public Safety and the St. Louis Taxi Commission that aims to reduce the number of drunken driving accidents.
Leanna Depue, the director of Highway Safety for MoDOT, said that in 2013, 223 people were killed and 745 seriously injured in substance-related crashes.
The signs on sidewalks will prompt individuals to walk a straight line or recite the alphabet backward; signs on light posts will remind people that taxis are always a sober option for the ride home.
There are numerous elements to this public awareness campaign. Along with the new signs on the sidewalks and taxi stands, there will be a QR code linked to the telephone numbers of taxi companies in St. Louis.
A final component is located on the back of the headrests in the taxi, thanking people for choosing taxis as their ride home.