Lisa Petty for the Dallas Observer
Audio By Carbonatix
Fact: Dallas has many amazing bars, restaurants and concerts. Fact: Dallas could do a hell of a lot better when it comes to overnight parking.
Nobody understands this correlation better than Beth McBride and Carli Seymour. In 2023, McBride’s son and Seymour’s brother, Bobby Dewbre, was hit and killed while crossing the street by a repeat DUI offender. The devastating loss inspired the mother-daughter duo to co-found the Bar Fairies in their home state of Montana. The organization rewards the decision not to drive drunk by placing coffee gift cards on vehicles left overnight at bars and restaurants. Each card also depicts the face and story of a life lost.
“This issue affects so many of us,” says Seymour. “Avoiding DUI fatalities altogether is the goal of the Bar Fairies, not being punitive. I think that’s an important distinction.”
More work to be done
Cut to the present, and the Bar Fairies now boasts 12 active chapters across Montana, Washington, the Midwest, and California; some 3,500 coffee cards have been distributed to date. A few weeks ago, the group went viral with a reel featuring Tim and Kelly, two very cheerful, vest-clad volunteers, on an early-morning run. The subsequent outpouring of support and requests to add new cities was welcome, if overwhelming.
“It felt really surreal,” says Seymour. “It’s so interesting how social media has connected with this idea.”
“It lights a fire in me,” McBride adds. “It shows that people across America are tired of the deaths and life-changing injuries caused by drunk driving — something totally avoidable. It shows that more work needs to be done across the country.”
Which brings us back to Dallas. Clearly, a gift card isn’t what’s standing between horrific causes of an impaired driver getting behind the wheel. The concept is more about advocating for leaving a car behind and removing deterrents to doing so. We saw the Bar Fairies’ viral video, fresh off a $109 ticket we got for leaving our car in a Bishop Arts District parking lot after an unexpectedly long night. In another situation, editor Lauren Drewes Daniels was certain her car would be towed after leaving it in a parking lot, when a couple drinks and the tiredness of a long day made a long drive home on a dark night an awful idea. (‘Should I leave a note on the windshield? Am I breaking a law leaving it here?’ Then waking up all night, ‘Did I do something wrong?’)
Unfortunately, Bar Fairies have stopped opening new branches while regrouping to meet the growing demand. But the idea is one to be championed.
Limited options
Nothing comparable to the Bar Fairies exists here in North Texas; instead, we have confusing parking situations. Whether it’s the aforementioned expensive penalties (whether city- or private-company-inflicted), obnoxious oversized yellow window stickers (yep, have gotten some of those, too), or towing to who-knows-where, the options stand as a deterrent. In downtown or Deep Ellum? Prepare to get your window smashed in.
The city of Austin has a parking ticket waiver program. Here in the Big D, we only found some outdated holiday sober ride programs.
Until we have Fairies who will surprise us with coffee while incentivizing parking instead of driving impaired, there are always rideshares, designated drivers and public transportation.
We also found a couple of TxDOT programs created in partnership with Uber that offer a credit for a ride from one during specific events and weekends. It’s a start.
