WASHINGTON — In an effort to prevent drunk driving this St. Patrick's Day, a local nonprofit is offering free Lyft rides, with a value of up to $15, to help get those celebrating the holiday in the D.C. area get home safely.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly half of all U.S. traffic deaths on St. Patrick's Day involve drunk drivers.
To combat these statistics, the nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) is offering free safe rides with Lyft.
The 2023 St. Patrick's SoberRide program will begin at 4 p.m. Friday, March 17 and run through 4 a.m. March 18.
During this 12-hour period, area residents, ages 21 and older, celebrating the holiday with alcohol may download the Lyft app to their phones, then enter the SoberRide code in the app's Promo section to get their free ride home.
WRAP’s 2023 St. Patrick’s Day SoberRide promo code will be posted at 3:00 p.m. on March 17 on www.SoberRide.com.
“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 therein 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 therein plus the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park.
Since 1991, officials claim WRAP’s SoberRide program has provided 84,676 free safe rides home to would-be drunk drivers in the Greater Washington area.
WATCH NEXT: