‘Bar fairies’ are leaving gift cards on cars parked outside of bars in the mornings — here’s why the movement is gaining momentum

“Drunk driving isn’t just a statistic — it’s a reality that devastates families, friends, and entire communities,” The Bar Fairies, the community behind the initiative, writes. “Through simple acts of gratitude, advocacy and education, we work to prevent impaired driving, support families who have lost loved ones and encourage responsible choices. What started as a small effort to acknowledge those making the right choice has grown into a community-wide movement to create safer roads and honor lives lost.”

Who are the mysterious bar fairies?

Beth McBride started The Bar Fairies with her daughter, Carli Seymour, after her 21-year-old son, Bobby Dewbre, was struck and killed by a drunk driver in Montana in March 2023. McBride and Seymour sought a way to turn their grief into positive change and, after noticing a habit of people leaving cars overnight in bar parking lots, they wanted to perpetuate that pattern.

McBride, Seymour and other “bar fairies” they’ve recruited leave handwritten notes to thank recipients for choosing safety over ease, encouraging them to enjoy a cup of coffee before heading home. The cost is minimal — just $5 — but supporters say the message carries far greater value. Rather than shaming people for drinking alcohol, the movement acknowledges those who called a ride-share, walked home or relied on a designated driver.

Each note carries the face and story of a life lost to a DUI-related crash, as well.

“It’s a reminder that the choices we make don’t just affect us,” The Bar Fairies writes. “What started as a way to honor Bobby’s memory quickly became something bigger — a community movement to change the culture around drunk driving in Montana and across the country.”

They’ve since handed out thousands of coffee cards, and the movement has been gaining steam on social media. After all, the inconvenience of retrieving a car the next morning is insignificant compared with the potentially devastating consequences of driving under the influence.

Alcohol-impaired drivers claim thousands of lives

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, thousands of people die every year in crashes involving impaired drivers — and 37 people die from drunk-driving accidents every day. In 2022, alone, 13,524 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers, which accounted for 32% of all traffic-related deaths in the country.

In Montana, where The Bar Fairies was founded, previous laws did not explicitly consider a high blood alcohol concentration (BAC) as criminally negligent, despite intoxication’s impact on a driver’s capabilities to operate a vehicle. After persistent pushback, HB267 — commonly known as Bobby’s Law — now recognizes a driver’s high BAC in fatal accidents as gross negligence.

Gov. Greg Gianforte put Bobby’s Law on the books in 2025, two years after Bobby’s tragic passing.

“It means Bobby didn’t die in vain,” McBride told local news outlet, the Daily Inter Lake, in response to the law. “It means other families won’t have to suffer injustice. We can’t turn back the clock, but we can make it right for future families.”

While the law is certainly a step forward in fighting for justice for families of lost loved ones, impaired-driving accidents can easily be avoided. Choosing not to drive after drinking remains one of the simplest ways to prevent tragedies — especially fatalities on the road.