The program that offers a free ride home took nearly 1,000 potential drunken drivers off D.C.-area roads on New Year’s Eve. Between 10 p.m. Friday and 6 a.m Saturday, SoberRide provided free cab service home to a record 967 drivers. “This level of ridership translates into SoberRide removing a would-be drunk driver from greater Washington’s roadways every 30-seconds,” said Kurt Erickson, president of the nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program, which conducts the region’s SoberRide effort. The previous record of New Year’s Eve ridership for the program was in 2002, when 808 SoberRides were provided. The program kicked off Dec. 17 for this holiday season. When it wrapped up Saturday morning, SoberRide had provided 2,530 total cab rides.
