Photo by Michelle Maria Pitzel courtesy of Pixabay
Margarita
Washington Regional Alcohol Program will offer free rides on Tuesday throughout the region, including Alexandria, for those who are celebrating Cinco de Mayo.
Cinco de Mayo is one of the largest, non-winter drinking days in the U.S., heavily centered on consuming Mexican beer and tequila-based cocktails like margaritas and palomas. With over $700 million spent on beer, it often surpasses St. Patrick’s Day in alcohol sales.
Preparing to combat that time of year when, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration figures, more than one-third (36%) of U.S. traffic deaths involve drunk drivers,* a local nonprofit organization recently announced that free safe rides will be offered to would-be drunk drivers throughout the Washington-metropolitan area on Cinco de Mayo.
Offered by the nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP), the 2026 Cinco de Mayo SoberRide® program will be in operation beginning at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5 (Cinco de Mayo) and operate until 4 a.m. on Wednesday, May 6 as a way to keep local roads safe from impaired drivers during this traditional high-risk period.
During this 12-hour period, area residents ages 21 and older celebrating with alcohol may download the Lyft app to their phones then enter the SoberRide® code in the app’s ‘Payment’ tab (under the ‘Add Lyft Pass’) option to receive their no-cost (up to $15) safe transportation home.
WRAP’s 2026 Cinco de Mayo SoberRide® code will be posted at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5 on www.SoberRide.com.
“Over a third of U.S. traffic fatalities during Cinco de Mayo involve drunk drivers according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,” said Kurt Erickson, WRAP’s president.]
“Lyft is dedicated to provided 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 partnership with the public, we hope to empower our community to use 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.
Sponsors of WRAP’s 2026 Cinco de Mayo SoberRide® campaign include 395 Express Lanes, Anheuser-Busch, Beer Institute, Brown-Forman, Chesapeake Region Safety Council, Constellation Brands, Diageo, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Giant Food, Lyft, Molson Coors Beverage Company, New Belgium Brewing, Responsibility.org, Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington and the Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association. WRAP’s 2026 Public Partner SoberRide Sponsors include the District of Columbia Highway Safety Office, Maryland Highway Safety Office/Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration and the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.
Since 1991, WRAP’s SoberRide® program has provided 103,106 free safe rides home to would-be drunk drivers in the Greater Washington area.
WRAP also offers its SoberRide® program on Super Bowl Sunday, St. Patrick’s Day, Independence Day, Halloween and the winter holidays through and including New Year’s Eve.
