GALESBURG — Area residents who have too many drinks on New Year’s Eve will have a safe option for getting home this year.

A community-based initiative known as Alert Cab will be offering free cab rides to tipsy residents from any participating Galesburg bar or restaurant on Dec. 31 from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.

The program has been ongoing for “at least 15 years, if not more,” said Adam Vitale, general manager of G&M Distributors, a company that distributes beer, wine, spirits and other refreshments.

Its main goal is to curb drunk driving on a day that has become synonymous with partying and drinking.

“People who misuse the product we distribute don’t do us any good,” Vitale said.

The free cab rides will take residents from the bar to their homes in Galesburg. Out-of-town residents may call the phone number, although they will have to begin paying for the cab ride once it leaves city limits.

The program is sponsored by the G&M, Dennis Twitty State Farm Insurance, United Cab Company and Galesburg Broadcasting. The cab company can be contacted at 341-6161.

Use of the program has become rampant in recent years, Vitale said, in part because the price of DUI fines has skyrocketed with the passage of new tough-on-crime laws.

On average, a DUI conviction costs $16,100 in Illinois, according to the Secretary of State’s office. The figure includes costs related to increased insurance premiums, legal fees, court costs and income loss.

Knox County Sheriff David Clague also attributed stiffer DUI laws to the decrease in drunk drivers his department sees during the holiday.

“It seems like the number of DUIs has declined,” he said, although the numbers haven’t dropped “as much as I’d like.”

For New Year’s Eve, the sheriff’s department will operate a few checkpoints throughout the area during the evening hours Friday.

In Galesburg, bars will be open for an extra hour, closing at 3 a.m. Saturday instead of 2 a.m. The Police Department will increase the number of on-duty officers well above what a normal shift would call for in response to the busy holiday, said Capt. Lindsey May.

Besides patrolling the roads for drunk drivers, police officers will be making more frequent checks at the town’s taverns while talking to bar owners and occupants to halt disturbances.

And the holiday could be hectic, especially considering two other factors that could also bring more patrons into local establishments: the weather outlook and the night of the week that New Year’s Eve lands on.

For one, temperatures could reach 50 degrees on New Year’s Eve, giving more residents an incentive to go out that night. Additionally, the holiday lands on the weekend, another reason for residents to visit local bars.

All of these factors could mean a very busy night for cab drivers with Alert Cab.

“It’s very important to us,” Vitale said. “Our goal is to keep everyone safe on New Year’s Eve.”

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Vermont Auditor of Accounts Tom Salmon is going to spend New Year’s Eve helping combat drunken driving.

Salmon was convicted of driving under the influence following a November 2009 traffic stop.

He says he’s learned his lesson, paid his fine and endured losing his license. He’s also completed project Crash.

On New Year’s Eve Salmon says will drive a van as part of a DUI-prevention program by Bennington County Sheriff Chad Schmidt. Salmon will drive a van for people who need a ride.

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