No gentle reminder: A screen capture of the video campaign by MyTeksi to stop revellers from drinking and driving during this St Patrick’s Day celebration.

PETALING JAYA: Nothing reminds of death like the hearse, and it is definitely the last thing that you want to see on your night out.

Playing on this deep-seated superstitious belief, taxi-booking application MyTeksi is trying to drive home the message of the dangers of getting behind the wheel while drunk during this St Patrick's Day celebration with its public service advertisement video The Last Ride.

The short video on YouTube shows drunken revellers collecting their cars from the valet getting a hearse instead.

As it is captured on screen, it is an instant sobering reminder of what could happen if they drink and drive.

With hundreds of Malaysians dying each year due to alcohol related accidents MyTeksi has no qualms about taking the role of the “party pooper”.

“No gentle reminder will do,” it stated on its PSA, which was first published last December during the end of the year's festive season.

Re-published last week in time for Ireland's famed festival, the advertisement has been receiving a good response from netizens.

Another screen capture of the video campaign by MyTeksi. Nothing reminds of death like the hearse, and it is definitely the last thing that you want to see on your night out.

“It makes you think twice about drinking and driving,” said advertising executive S. Yeoh.

Lecturer Vicky Wang who downloaded the app when it was first launched last June said that MyTeksi has given her confidence in the city's taxi services.

“You can know the estimated fare and see your journey plotted out on the map of the app, so you would know if the driver is taking you for a ride,” she said.

“It is especially reassuring after the recent rape and robbery cases by taxi drivers.”

As MyTeksi stated on YouTube, this was one of the reasons why the app was created.

“Through this service, we are able to vet our drivers and provide taxi passengers with an option that is Fast, Safe and Certain ... when you book a cab with MyTeksi, you will get the driver's details, phone number and number plate for verification. We always urge our users not to get into a taxi that doesn't match the details they received in their app.”

MyTeksi is a local start-up that developed the first mobile taxi hailing service in Malaysia. Committed to getting people home safely, MyTeksi allows its app users to book taxis through their mobile devices. Commuters without smartphones or tablets can send a text message to book taxis on the go.

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