SOURCE: wrap.org
CONTACT: Kurt Gregory Erickson
President
PHONE: W. 703-893-0461
CELL. 703-625-2303
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 8, 2015
FREE INDEPENDENCE DAY CAB RIDES OFFERED THROUGHOUT GREATER WASHINGTON TO CURB DRUNK DRIVING
DRUNK DRIVERS CAUSE NEARLY 40% OF ALL U.S. TRAFFIC DEATHS ON JULY 4TH
Washington, D.C., June 8 – Preparing to combat that time of year when, according to
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 39-percent of all U.S. traffic deaths are
caused by alcohol-impaired drivers*, free cab rides will be offered to would-be drunk drivers
throughout the Washington-metropolitan area on Saturday, July 4th (Independence Day).
Offered by the nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP), the Fourth of
July SoberRide® program will be in operation beginning at 10:00 pm on Saturday, July 4th and
continue until 4:00 am the following day as a way to keep local roads safe from impaired
drivers during this traditionally high-risk holiday.
During this six-hour period, area residents celebrating with alcohol may call the tollfree
SoberRide® phone number 1 – 800 – 200 – TAXI and be afforded a no-cost (up to a $ 30
fare), safe way home.
AT&T wireless customers can dial #WRAP for the same service. Local taxicab companies throughout the Washington-metropolitan area provide this no-cost service to local residents age 21 and older who otherwise would have attempted to drive home after drinking.
“On Independence Day, nearly 40-percent of all U.S. traffic deaths are caused by drunk drivers,” said Kurt Gregory Erickson, WRAP’s President. “Worse, more than a fifth (21%) of the drunk drivers causing this carnage during the 2013 July 4th holiday had blood alcohol concentrations (.15) of nearly twice the legal limit.”
SoberRide® is offered in the District of Columbia; throughout the Maryland counties of
Montgomery and Prince George’s; and throughout the Northern Virginia counties of Arlington,
Fairfax, (eastern) Loudoun and Prince William.
Last Independence Day (2014), 159 persons used WRAP’s SoberRide® service rather than possibly driving home impaired.
Sponsors of this year’s Independence Day SoberRide® offering include AAA MidAtlantic,
Anheuser-Busch, Constellation Brands, Diageo, District of Columbia Association of Beverage Alcohol Wholesalers, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility, Giant Food, MillerCoors, Red Top Cab of Arlington, Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, Volkswagen Group of America and the Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association.
Participating taxicab companies include: Alexandria Yellow Cab; Barwood; Fairfax Yellow Cab; Loudoun Yellow Cab; Northern Virginia Checker Cab; Red Top Cab; Silver Cab of Prince George’s County; Yellow Cab of D.C.; and Yellow Cab of Prince William County.
Since 1993, WRAP’s SoberRide® program has provided 62,536 free cab rides home to
would-be drunk drivers in the Greater Washington area.
Founded in 1982, the nonprofit [501(c)(3)] Washington Regional Alcohol Program is an
award-winning public-private partnership working to prevent drunk driving and underage
drinking in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region. Through public education, innovative
health education programs and advocacy, WRAP is credited with keeping the metroWashington
area’s alcohol-related traffic deaths consistently lower than the national average.
For more information, visit www.soberride.com.
*NHTSA source:
http://www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov/newtsm/id-july4th/2015/11262b-FourthJuly2015-FactSheet.doc
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http://www.wrap.org/pdfs/2015SRfourth-pr-regl.pdf
