No designated driver this 4th of July? WRAP is offering a free ride home
The Washington Regional Alcohol Program is making it easier to get home safe this Independence Day by offering free Lyft rides (up to $15) to Fourth of July travelers.
WRAP President Kurt Erickson announced the SoberRide offer alongside Lyft’s public policy director for community safety, citing a concerning trend of traffic deaths involving drunk drivers around the federal holiday.
“Forty percent of U.S. traffic fatalities during Independence Day involve drunk drivers,” Erickson said in a statement.
Officials said the code will be posted at SoberRide.com on Thursday at 3 p.m. and available to 1,500 Lyft users on a first come, first served basis.
“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, Lyft’s director of public policy for community safety.
“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.”
The free ride program will be in operation through 4 a.m. on Friday, July 5.
Rides are offered to those in the Washington, D.C. coverage area, which includes Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland as well as Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William Counties in Virginia.
WRAP’s SoberRide program said it has provided safe rides home for more than 90,000 “would-be drunk drivers in the Greater Washington area” during its more than three decades operating in the capital region.