Safe Ride recently acquired a new vehicle from Al Shocklay, a Washington College Board Member.
The car donated was a 2004 Honda Odyssey, a minivan with automatic doors and an upgrade from the previous Safe Ride van. Shocklay owns a Honda dealership in Frederick, Maryland.
In addition to the Odyssey, Safe Ride received a generous offer for free service and maintenance for as long as the old van lasts.
According to Lindsay Dutton, Safe Ride President, the service will be provided by Dax Haak who owns the Loyd Haak Chrysler Dodge Dealership in Chestertown.
But how will the new van and free service benefit Safe Ride?
Dutton said, "With this new van and repairs, next year we will be running two vans on Saturday nights."
The old van will be brought up to par and the second van should help cut down on wait time. According to Dutton, on a Saturday night as many as 105 people have been picked up, and this can extend the waiting time for pick up to half an hour. With the addition of the new van this problem should be avoided.
Dutton said, "We apologize to people who had bad experiences waiting on Saturday nights."
With the new van, staff will need to increase too. According to Dutton,"We're going to have to increase our staff to 15-20 Safe Ride drivers for next year. There will be a campus wide email sent out for people to apply."
As for this year, Dutton feels it was successful.
"We're tallying up our numbers. Our numbers continue to grow. There's been a significant decrease in assaults from people walking home and less complaints from town members about students cutting across lawns and through backyards," she said.
Safe Ride is expanding, and next year there will even be a presentation explaining the concept to freshmen at orientation, said Dutton.
"We're looking forward to a really successful program next year. We ask people to respect drivers and not bring alcohol in the van," said Dutton.
She added, "The service is for anyone who doesn't feel comfortable [walking home]. We're not just for intoxicated people."
Students should direct any questions, comments, or concerns to ldutton2 or safe_ride@washcoll.edu.
Also, special thanks to Tonda Williams and Barbara Heck who made it possible for Safe Ride to expand with their help and dedication to the program.
300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, Maryland 21620 | 410-778-2800 | 800-422-1782