Free Holiday Lyft Rides Offered Throughout Greater Washington to Prevent Drunk Driving
NEARLY HALF OF U.S. HIGHWAY DEATHS DURING CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR’S INVOLVE DRUNK DRIVERS
Washington DC, December 12 — Preparing to combat that time of year when, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly half of all U.S. traffic deaths involve drunk drivers (39%, Christmas; 49%, New Year’s Day – NHTSA, 2020), 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 16th.
Offered by the nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP), the 2022 Holiday SoberRide® program will be in operation nightly from 10:00 p.m. until 4:00 a.m. from December 16, 2022 to January 1, 2023 as way to keep local roads safe from impaired drivers during this traditionally high-risk holiday period.
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 16, 23 and 31 on www.SoberRide.com.
“Nearly half of all U.S. traffic fatalities during Christmas and New Year’s in 2020 involved drunk drivers according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,” said Kurt Erickson, WRAP’s President.
Last December and while unquestionably impacted by the then resurging COVID-19 pandemic including the Omicron variant, 461 persons in the Washington-metropolitan area still used the free safe ride service rather than possibly driving home impaired. The charity also offers its SoberRide® program on St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, Independence Day and Halloween.
“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.”
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 towns therein plus the cities of Bowie, College Park, District Heights, Gaithersburg. Glenarden, Greenbelt, Hyattsville, Laurel, Mount Ranier, New Carrollton, Rockville, Seat Pleasant and Takoma Park; and the Northern Virginia counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William and towns therein plus the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park.
Sponsors of WRAP’s 2022 Holiday SoberRide® campaign include the 395 Express Lanes, Amazon, Anheuser-Busch, Beer Institute, Brown-Forman, Constellation Brands, District of Columbia Association of Beverage Alcohol Wholesalers, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Foundation of Advancing Alcohol Responsibility, Giant Food, Glory Days Grill, Kendall-Jackson, Lyft, Molson Coors Beverage Company, New Belgium Brewing, Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, and the Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association. WRAP’s 2022 Partner SoberRide® Sponsors include the District of Columbia Department of Transportation, Maryland Highway Safety Office/Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration and Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.
Since 1991, WRAP’s SoberRide® program has provided 83,678 free safe rides home to would-be drunk drivers in the Greater Washington area.
Commemorating its 40th year in 2022 after being founded in 1982, the nonprofit [501(c)(3)] 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.