It is the 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). Free safe rides will be offered to would-be drunk or impaired drivers throughout the area during the winter holidays beginning on Dec. 17.

Washington Regional Alcohol Program’s 2021 Holiday SoberRide program will be in operation nightly, 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. from Dec. 17, 2021 to Jan. 1, 2022 as a way to keep local roads safe from impaired drivers during this traditionally high-risk holiday season. 

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 new, separate Holiday SoberRide promo code will be posted at 9:00 p.m. on Dec. 17, 24 and 31 on www.SoberRide.com.

During the 2019 winter holidays (COVID-19 prevented Dec. 2020’s full-out campaign), over 1,100 (1,121) people 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.

Since 1991, WRAP’s SoberRide® program has provided 81,184 free safe rides home to would-be-drunk drivers in the Greater Washington area.