SAN ANTONIO — Eight years ago, Azeza Salama’s family’s vehicle was struck head-on by a drunken driver going the wrong way on Walzem Road at I-35. Her fiance, Johnny Hernandez, died.

“One thing is for certain, that anything can happen at the drop of a dime. Moments don’t last forever,” Salama said. “His first instinct was to save lives.” 

Salama, like Johnny, wants to save lives through her program, Free Rides.

“This is just a friendly reminder to tell people if they drove here they don’t have to drive home drunk,” Salama said. “We offer free rides for people who have had one too many drinks, and they can leave their vehicle here without the fear of it being towed.” 

It takes the participation of businesses to make the program work. Businesses pay for the Ubers and Lyfts for intoxicated patrons.

Forbes Advisory ranked Texas as the third worst state for drunken driving in 2023, averaging five deaths involving a drunk driver per 100,000 state residents.

“By paying for maybe a $40 or $50 Uber ride home versus having the state (Texas) in your business and being on the news,” Salama said. 

Albert Cortez owns Perfect 10 and is a part of the Free Rides program. His business spends about $300 a month for Ubers and Lyfts and believes it’s worth it in order to save lives. 

“I was going to the DWI task force meeting, watching the people there, hearing them talk and realizing that we can do something as a bar,” Cortez said. 

Salama says she fears of folks taking advantage of the program. 

“I don’t want people to just go to bars and get drunk purposely with the idea of ‘oh, I’m going to have a ride home regardless,’” Salama said. “It’s more so a safety net and making sure we educate the community.” 

The program also educates bar owners with its quarterly coalition meetings. 

“You will see city officials out there. We’ve had officials from the police department, from law enforcement, we’ve even had TABC out there,” Salama said. 

Salama hopes to spend this time educating the community on impaired driving and keeping Hernandez’s legacy alive. 

“To make my time priceless, whatever it was that I was doing, there was no amount of money that would be able to serve the purpose that I was going to lead in my journey in front of me,” Salama said.