Alana Whitney was seriously injured when she was hit by a drunk driver and the experience changed her life.
“I slipped my C5, which is your paralyzing disk from your neck down. I was in the hospital for a month and that pretty much made me rethink everything and why people are still drinking and driving when there are other options,” Whitney says.
She created Whitney’s Designated Driving.
“We just like to make sure everybody gets home safe to their loved ones,” says Whitney.
For the last three years, Whitney’s company has been offering partiers a safe ride home.
“We pick up people from bars, staff parties and Christmas parties. We drive people and their vehicles and their friends. They’re pretty grateful,” Whitney says.
“They’re just happy they’re getting home with their vehicle and not having to taxi back downtown to get their vehicle in the morning.”
Whitney’s isn’t the only designated driving company in Kelowna. One of the other services is Gals Designated Drivers. The company says many people in the city aren’t aware of how many options there are to get home risk-free.
“We can charge you maybe $50 or $60 and we go home. Whereas the other way around, you get in an accident, you’re dealing with tow trucks, you’re dealing with lawyers. So everybody’s just safer,” says Daniel Samoylove, owner and operator of Gals Designated Drivers.
Both companies say the demand is rising for safe driving alternatives across the Okanagan. They recommend booking in advance.