Free Holiday Lyft Rides Offered Throughout Greater Washington To Prevent Drunk Driving
OVER A THIRD OF U.S. TRAFFIC DEATHS DURING CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR’S INVOLVE DRUNK DRIVERS
Tysons, VA, December 11 — Preparing to combat that time of year when, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over a third (36%, Christmas; 40% New Year’s Day) of U.S. traffic deaths involve drunk drivers,* a local nonprofit organization announced today that free safe rides will be offered to would-be drunk drivers throughout the Washington-area this holiday season.
Offered by the nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP), the 2023 Holiday SoberRide® program will be in operation nightly from 10:00 p.m. until 4:00 a.m. from Friday, December 15, 2023 until Monday, January 1, 2024 as a 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 the Lyft app to their phones then enter the SoberRide® code in the app’s ‘Payment’ tab (under the ‘Add Lyft Pass’ option) to receive their no-cost (up to $15) safe transportation home. WRAP’s separate 2023 Holiday SoberRide® promo codes will be posted at 9:00 p.m. on December 15, 22 and 31 on www.SoberRide.com.
“Over a third of all U.S. traffic fatalities during Christmas and New Year’s in 2021 involved drunk drivers according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,” said Kurt Erickson, WRAP’s President.
Last New Year’s alone, over 900 (907) persons in the Washington-metropolitan area 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 2023 Holiday SoberRide® campaign include 395 Express Lanes, Amazon, Anheuser-Busch, Beer Institute, Brown-Forman, Constellation Brands, Diageo, District of Columbia Association of Beverage Alcohol Wholesalers, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility, Giant Food, Glory Days Grill, HEINEKEN, Lyft, Molson Coors Beverage Company, New Belgium Brewing, Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington and the Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association. WRAP’s 2023 Public Partner SoberRide® Sponsors include the District of Columbia Office of the Deputy Mayor for Operations and Infrastructure’s Highway Safety Office, Maryland Highway Safety Office/Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration and Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.
Since 1991, WRAP’s SoberRide® program has provided 88,126 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 an award-winning public-private partnership working to prevent drunk driving and underage drinking in the Washington-metropolitan area. Through public education, innovative health education programs and advocacy, WRAP is credited with helping to keep the annual percentage of metro-Washington traffic deaths involving alcohol-impaired driving historically lower than the national average. WRAP, however, may best be known to area residents via the organization’s popular free safe ride service to prevent drunk driving, SoberRide®.
More information about WRAP’s SoberRide® initiative can be found at www.SoberRide.com.
* National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2021, 36% of all U.S. traffic fatalities on Christmas and 40% on New Year’s day.