Free Independence Day Lyft Rides Offered Throughout Greater Washington to Prevent Drunk Driving
More Than a Third of U.S. Highway Deaths During Independence Day Involve Drunk Drivers
Washington, DC, June 16 – Preparing to combat that time of year when, according to the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA), over one-third (38%) of all U.S. traffic deaths involve drunk drivers*, free July 4th Lyft rides will be offered to deter impaired driving throughout the Washington-metropolitan area, beginning Sunday, July 4th, 2021.
Offered by the nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP), the 2021 Independence Day SoberRide® program will be in operation beginning at 8:00 p.m. Sunday, July 4th (Independence Day) and operate until 4:00 a.m. on Monday, July 5, 2021 as a way to keep local roads safe from impaired drivers during this traditionally high-risk holiday.
During this eight-hour period, area residents age 21 and older celebrating with alcohol may download the Lyft app to their phones, then enter the SoberRide® code in the app’s ‘Promo’ section to receive their no-cost (up to $15) safe transportation home. WRAP’s Independence Day SoberRide® promo code will be posted at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday July 4th on www.SoberRide.com.
“Nearly 40-percent of U.S. traffic fatalities during the Independence Day holiday involve drunk drivers according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,” said Kurt Erickson, WRAP’s President. “Worse and during the 2019 Independence Day holiday, over two-thirds (69%) of those killed in drunk driving crashes were in crashes involving at least one driver with a blood alcohol concentration of .15 or higher.”
During the 2019 Independence Day holiday (COVID-19 prevented last year’s campaign), over 800 (817) persons in the Washington-metropolitan area used WRAP’s SoberRide® program rather than possibly driving home impaired. The charity also offers its SoberRide® program on St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, Halloween and the winter holidays.
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 proud of the role ridesharing has played in reducing impaired driving across the nation. Here in the DC area, partnering with the Washington Regional Alcohol Program allows us to take our commitment to providing reliable, convenient, and responsible transportation a step further,” said Geoff Berman, Lyft’s National Regional Manager, East.
Sponsors of WRAP’s 2021 Independence Day SoberRide® campaign include the 395 Express Lanes, Anheuser-Busch, 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, 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, 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 80,318 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.
*Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: