WASHINGTON — The anti-drunk driving effort called Sober Ride carried a record-breaking 559 people on Independence Day. The Washington Regional Alcohol Program partnered with Lyft to provide the rides from 7 p.m. on July 4 until 2 a.m. July 5.
“This level of ridership translates into Sober Ride removing a potential drunken driver from greater Washington roadways every 45 seconds on Independence Day,” said Kurt Erickson, president of the Washington Regional Alcohol Program.
Sober Ride operates on the party holidays: St Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo and Halloween. It also offers rides during the holiday season from Dec. 15 through New Year’s Eve.
One third of all traffic fatalities in the greater D.C. area involve drunken drivers, according to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
Acknowledging that Sober Ride is not available most days of the year, Erickson says it’s important drivers intent on drinking have a plan.
“Designate a driver. Designate a sober driver, by the way; it’s not the person in your group who had the least amount to drink, but the person who is completely abstaining,” Erickson said.
