SoberRide Offers Free Lift On New Year's To Curb Drunk Driving

WASHINGTON, DC — Organizers of a service that gets party-goers home safely would prefer that residents of the Washington, D.C., region stay home this New Year's Eve because of the coronavirus pandemic. But, for those who must go out to celebrate the end of 2020, SoberRide will be there.

The Washington Regional Alcohol Program will offer free rides to residents of Washington, D.C., and northern Virginia.

The SoberRide offer opens at 10 p.m. Thursday and expires at 2 a.m. Friday. All users have to do is download the Lyft mobile application and enter a promo code. WRAP will post the code on this website Thursday at 9 p.m.

Anyone 21 and up can get a ride up to $15 using the Lyft app. Customers must cover any additional costs of a ride over $15.

Last New Year, 921 people used the SoberRide code. WRAP has funded 80,047 free, safe rides since 1991.

The service is available to residents of Washington, D.C., as well as those living in the northern Virginia counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William. Montgomery County and Prince George's County in Maryland are also part of the program.

WRAP sponsors free rides on other holidays, including St. Patrick's Day, Cinco de Mayo, Independence Day and Halloween.

"While we're all safer at home, we are also a public safety organization which regularly looks to mitigate risk," WRAP President Kurt Erickson said in a press release. "We therefore urge all Greater Washington area residents to stay at home and respect public health restrictions this New Year's. However, if persons do venture out and alcohol is involved, we are all benefited from the safety net role which the region's SoberRide program plays to remove drunk drivers from area roadways."

The following organizations are sponsors of WRAP's SoberRide effort:

• 95 Express Lanes
• AAA Mid-Atlantic
• 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
• Heineke
• Kendall-Jackson
• Lyft
• Molson Coors Beverage Company
• New Belgium Brewing
• Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington
• Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association

"Lyft is proud of the role ridesharing has played in reducing impaired driving across the nation," said Robin Burns, Lyft's MidAtlantic Community Strategist. "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, particularly during times of the year when people are out celebrating and in need of a ride home."