Montana bar-goers ditched drunk driving — and found incredible note on their cars that's going viral

According to the Dermer Law Firm, Montana ranks among the highest in the U.S. for drunk driving fatalities; in fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that more than 40% of Montana's lethal crashes have alcohol involved. However, to prevent drunk driving cases, Montana Bar Fairies (@montanabarfairies on Instagram), a community-driven nonprofit, has come up with a brilliant way of rewarding drivers who leave their car at the bar instead of driving home drunk. 

The aim is to change the casual drunk driving culture in Montana by leaving gift cards on cars parked outside bars. In a video shared on August 17, 2025, Jamie and Kelsey, members of the Montana Bar Fairies, captured how they left free coffee cards on the vehicles left at a bar's parking lot in Billings, Montana. "We had a great morning giving out coffee cards; thanks for not drinking and driving," they said, appreciating people for taking a sober ride back home. On one side, the card mentioned the heartbreaking story of a victim who was killed by a drunk driver, and on the other side, it read, "Thank you for doing your part to keep our community safe by getting a sober ride; enjoy a coffee on us." Besides, the team requested people to come forward and help them with their initiative and wrote, "If you want to help support us, please visit our website — we want to keep going & growing," in the caption. 

Meanwhile, reacting to the clip, @oliviacf31 commented, "I live in Wisconsin, and I wish more bars did this! We have so little public transport in the north woods and even in the central part of the state. I donated to the cause! I wish your program could reach out to other states; this is the coolest thing." Someone else, @angelkat83, said, "We have a pub near us (Marty Magee’s) that does something similar-ish. The owner has said that he will pay any parking tickets the patrons would get if they take a taxi/Uber home instead of driving drunk." @was.801 said, "Ladies, this is an amazing idea! Every Sunday morning, my husband and I grocery shop early, and next to the store is a bar. There are 3 vehicles semi-routinely sitting in the parking lot when we get there. We joke about the awesome evening they had, and I personally worry a little about these strangers. Turning that around and planning to do something nice, letting them know they made great choices. Thank you for your positivity!"

Praising the initiative, another user, @nic, said, "Well done! This is so important and such a good idea. Alas, this kind of casual drunk driving happens a lot in rural areas. I understand the need for people to have community around them and socialize, especially if they have been working on their farms all day with only themselves for company, but drunk driving is so darn devastating. I wish there was a community party bus or community taxi service sponsored by the bars that would give people a ride home and then a ride back to their cars in the morning. Or just give people a ride to and from their homes to go out and socialize. That would require some big-time community engagement, though — and in a state where people tend to avoid that sort of thing, it’s tricky to get that squared away. Hopefully, people can at least get a designated driver program going."

You can follow Montana Bar Fairies (@montanabarfairies) on Instagram for more such updates.

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