When you responsibly opt for a cab ride home at the end of a long night of drinking downtown, what happens to your car?
In most cases, when 7 a.m. rolls around, and you're still sound asleep in bed, your car becomes an eligible candidate for a $100 towing or yet another parking ticket.
Preventing such scenarios is the allure of Auburn's newest, late-night valet service, Driveway Valet.
At the end of the night, they'll not only take your keys from you, but they'll drive you home in your own car.
Then they have one of their colleagues pick them up from your home so they can continue to help others throughout the night.
We think this is a pretty sweet deal that should both eliminate the stresses of having to retrieve your car in the morning while battling a hangover, as well as reduce drunken drivers on the road at night who know they shouldn't be behind the wheel, but want to avoid the aforementioned hassle.
Of course, the service isn't going to completely drive a stake through the heart of drunken driving, but we feel that anything to reduce the problem is welcome.
And yes, the personal shuttle service does come at a price.
You'll be charged $15 for the first three miles and $2 for each additional mile.
Again, we feel this is a fair fee if it's going to prevent someone from having to pay a parking ticket or having to retrieve their car for the impound, while shelling out an even heftier wad of cash.
Our largest and most obvious concern is the dangers of putting your vehicle in the hands of a stranger when you may be too inebriated to make a stand should something go awry.
There are a number of scenarios we could list where a mutinous Driveway Valet employee or even an imposter driver could take advantage of the situation, but the company ensures the credibility of its employees.
The drivers' background are checked prior to hire, and they must have clean records.
And really, there isn't much difference in trusting a stranger with getting you and your vehicle home than there is with trusting a cab driver, or any other person providing you a service for that matter.
There's always the chance someone you rely on for something will act out, but that of course never stops us from using whichever service that may be.
With that in mind, we don't see any imminent dangers that accompany the service, and we certainly appreciate the option of a safe ride home at the end of the night that could also save us some trouble the following day.
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