Free Holiday Lyft Rides Offered Throughout Greater Washington to Prevent Drunk Driving
MORE THAN A THIRD OF U.S. HIGHWAY DEATHS DURING THE HOLIDAY INVOLVE DRUNK DRIVERS
Washington, DC, Dec. 10 – Preparing to combat that time of year when, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than a third of all U.S. traffic deaths involve drunk drivers (38%, Christmas; 36%, New Year’s Day – NHTSA, 2019), a local nonprofit organization announced today that free safe rides will be offered to would-be drunk drivers throughout the Washington -metropolitan area during the winter holidays beginning on December 17th.
Offered by the nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP), the 2021 Holiday SoberRide® program will be in operation nightly, beginning at 10:00 p.m. until 4:00 a.m. from December 17, 2021 to January 1, 2022 as a way to keep local roads safe from impaired drivers during this traditionally high-risk holiday.
Each evening, during this six-hour period, area residents ages 21 and older celebrating with alcohol may download Lyft to their phones, then enter a SoberRide® code in the app’s ‘Promo’ section to receive their no-cost (up to $15) safe transportation home. A separate Holiday SoberRide® promo code will be posted at 9:00 p.m. on December 17, 24 and 31 on www.SoberRide.com.
During the 2019 winter holidays (COVID-19 prevented last December’s full-out campaign), over 1,100 (1,121) persons in the Washington-metropolitan area used WRAP’s Holiday SoberRide® program rather than possibly driving home impaired. The charity also officers its SoberRide® program on St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, Independence Day and Halloween.
“More than a third of all U.S. traffic fatalities during the holiday season in 2019 involved drunk drivers according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,” said Kurt Erickson, WRAP’s President.
SoberRide® is offered throughout Lyft’s Washington D.C. coverage area which includes all or parts of: the District of Columbia; the Maryland counties of Montgomery and Prince George’s; and the Northern Virginia counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William.
“Lyft is dedicated to providing access to reliable and responsible rides, and we’re proud to partner with programs like WRAP to offer Lyft as an alternative to impaired driving,” said Kamillah Wood, Director of Public Policy for Community Safety at Lyft. “Through our Roadway Safety Program and our partnerships with the public, we hope to empower our community with the tools to protect themselves and those around them this holiday season.”
Sponsors of WRAP’s 2021 Holiday SoberRide® campaign include the 395 Express Lanes, Anheuser-Busch, Beer Institute, Brown-Forman, Constellation Brands, District of Columbia Association of Beverage Alcohol Wholesalers, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility, Giant Food, Glory Days Grill, Heineken, Kendall-Jackson, Lyft, Molson Coors Beverage Company, New Belgium Brewing, Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington and the Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association. In addition, WRAP’s 2021 Public Partner SoberRide® Sponsors include the District of Columbia Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Office, Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration’s Highway Safety Office and the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.
Since 1991, WRAP’s SoberRide® program has provided 81,184 free safe rides home to would-be-drunk drivers in the Greater Washington area.
Founded in 1982, the nonprofit [501(c)(3)] Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) is a coalition of diverse interests using effective education, innovative programs and targeted advocacy to end alcohol-impaired driving and underage drinking in the Washington, DC metro area. Through public education, innovative health education programs and advocacy, WRAP is credited with keeping the metro-Washington area’s alcohol-related traffic deaths historically lower than the national average.
More information about WRAP’s SoberRide® initiative can be found at www.SoberRide.com.