DUI for woman who claims she was a Lyft driver picking someone up

A woman was arrested for a DUI and told deputies she was on her way to pick someone up because she’s a Lyft driver.

Collier County deputies said Donna Zyrkowski was swerving into other lanes and sideswiped another vehicle Monday night. Zyrkowski was driving along Immokalee Road and Laurel Lakes Boulevard.

Alirio Perez, an Uber driver, said, “This is delicate because normally, we have a list of rules within Uber and Lyft that clearly say we cannot be in those conditions.”

Deputies said Zyrkowski sideswiped the other car and fled the scene.

“That was the best outcome. Either way, if she had been with a passenger and the passenger would’ve realized the driver was drunk, the important thing would have been for the passenger to contact Lyft and tell them the driver had had a few drinks,” said Perez.

Uber Driver Chandler Payne told WINK News he thinks breathalyzers might be a solution, “There should be checks for Uber and Lyft. Maybe for before they go into work.”

Perez, an Uber driver for six years, said he doesn’t see any changes like that on the horizon.

WINK News reached out to Lyft for comment. They said the name and license plate listed in the Collier arrest report did not match any of their registered drivers.