Red, white and vroom

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By Emily Kelchen | for Raise the Bar

Every year, the Fourth of July brings us parades, fireworks and—unfortunately—a spike in drunk-driving accidents. Houston-based personal injury attorney Max “The Axe” Paderewski is tackling that risk head-on, handing out free Lyft rides to keep people safe during the holiday weekend. Part marketing move, part genuine community service, this campaign reminds us that sometimes the best way to serve your clients is to keep them from ever needing you.

What gave you the idea to give out Lyft vouchers for the 4th of July?
The 4th of July is one of the most dangerous holidays for drunk driving accidents. As someone who witnesses the aftermath of these tragedies far too often, I wanted to take proactive steps. 

By offering free Lyft rides, we give people a safer alternative and hopefully prevent crashes, injuries and DUIs before they happen. It’s a small step that can make a big difference. We run similar campaigns around other high-risk holidays like New Year’s, St. Patrick’s Day and Halloween.

Is this more about public safety or marketing—or are those goals aligned in your view?
This is about public safety first and foremost. We’d rather prevent an accident than represent someone after one has occurred. That said, we believe doing the right thing naturally aligns with building trust. Lone Star Injury Attorneys is a firm built on people and community. If our efforts to keep folks safe also help them remember who we are, that’s a bonus, not the goal.

How do you promote the campaign? Is it digital, community-based or something else?
We use a mix of digital and community-based outreach. That includes social media, email marketing, press releases, word of mouth, local event sites and traditional media outreach. We want as many people as possible to know about the program because every ride taken is a potentially life-saving decision.

How do you measure whether this actually helps your practice?
If someone makes it home safely because they used one of our free Lyft rides instead of driving under the influence, that’s a win. If someone decides not to get behind the wheel after a few drinks just because they saw our campaign, that’s a success.

That said, of course, we look at engagement. We track the number of people who sign up for the ride vouchers, the number of vouchers that are actually used and the number of people who share or interact with our online messaging. Those numbers help us understand reach and impact. Every year, we’ve seen that grow. More people are applying, more rides are taken and more conversations are started. That tells us we’re making a difference.

Do you think lawyers should be doing more creative community engagement like this? 
As lawyers, especially in personal injury, we see the aftermath of preventable tragedies every day. We understand the real-world consequences of things like drunk driving or distracted driving, and that gives us a responsibility to do more than just represent clients after the fact. 

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 Raise the Bar is written and curated by Emily Kelchen and edited by Bianca Prieto.