WASHINGTON — Stay on Santa's nice list this holiday season by driving safe. Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) is offering a SoberRide program to combat drunk driving during the holiday season.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly half of all U.S. traffic deaths involve drunk drivers. Of those, 39% happen on Christmas day and 49% on New Year’s Day, a 2020 report stated.
In an effort to reduce that percentage and keep drivers in the area safe, WRAP will be offering safe rides to would-be drunk drivers throughout the DMV area during the winter holidays. The 2022 Holiday SoberRide program will operate nightly from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. starting on Dec. 16, 2022 through Jan. 1, 2023.
During the six-hour period each night, people ages 21 and older celebrating with alcohol can download Lyft to their phones, enter a SoberRide® code in the app’s promo section to receive their no-cost, up to $15, safe ride home. A separate promo code will be posted at 9 p.m. on Dec. 16, 23 and 31 on www.SoberRide.com.
Last December, 461 people in the area used the free safe ride service rather than possibly driving home impaired. Since 1991, WRAP’s SoberRide program has provided 83,678 free safe rides home in the Greater Washington area.
“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 within 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 within plus the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park.
