WASHINGTON REGIONAL ALCOHOL PROGRAM (WRAP) SPRING 2014 Nearly 1,900 Use Greater Washington WRAP Cab-Cop Car Wins SoberRide® Program this Holiday Season Nearly 1,900 persons in the Washington- Virginia Governor’s 2013 metropolitan area used WRAP’s free cab ride service, SoberRide,® during the recent Transportation Safety Award holiday season as opposed to possibly driving home drunk. “For its hours of operation on New Year’s Eve alone, this level of ridership translates into SoberRide® removing a would-be drunk driver from Greater Washington’s roadways every 62-seconds,” said Lieutenant Rudy Landon (Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office), WRAP’s Chairman. WRAP’s most recent holiday SoberRide® offering—which concluded on January 1, 2014 after kicking-off and running nightly since December 13, 2013—provided 1,877 total, free cabs rides to local residents age 21 and older who otherwise may have attempted to drive home after drinking. Nearly 500 (463) utilized the Virginia House of Delegates then Transportation Committee Chairman Delegate Joe May (left) along with Virginia Department Washington-metropolitan area service of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Richard Holcomb (right) present Virginia’s 2013 Governor’s Transportation Safety Awards to on New Year’s Eve, alone. (During the (l to r) Neal Nichols (Arlington’s Red Top Cab), Kurt Erickson (WRAP) and Lieutenant Robert Medairos (Arlington County previous year’s New Year’s Eve [2012], Police Department). a comparative 387 persons used WRAP’s WRAP’s cab-cop car, an innovative and governments, federal agencies, the military, SoberRide® program.) specially-outfitted motor vehicle launched businesses and organizations that promote The most recent holiday SoberRide® in the fall of 2012 as a means of deterring transportation safety.” The “Chooser program operated between 10:00pm and impaired driving in Greater Washington, Cruiser” won the Virginia Governor’s 6:00am each evening for 18 consecutive was awarded Virginia Governor’s 2013 Transportation Safety Award in the days as a way to keep local roads safe from Transportation Safety Award. category of “Impaired Driving.” impaired drivers during this traditionally The vehicle, nicknamed the “Chooser The bestowing of this honor took high-risk, holiday period. During that Cruiser,” is a joint initiative between the place on June 20, 2013 at the 2013 Virginia period, Washington-metropolitan area Arlington County Police Department, Governor's Transportation Safety Award residents celebrating with alcohol could Arlington’s Red Top Cab and WRAP. luncheon held in Virginia’s State Capitol call the toll-free SoberRide® phone number The Virginia Governor’s in Richmond, Virginia. 1-800-200-TAXI and be afforded a no- Transportation Safety Award is the The operable and tactical four- cost (up to a $30 fare), safe way home. Commonwealth’s top transportation wheeled vehicle can only be described as (AT&T wireless customers could dial safety honor and recognizes “individuals a hybrid taxicab/police cruiser as while #-WRAP for the same service.) and organizations who have made the front of the Ford Crown Victoria is Since 1993 alone, WRAP’s SoberRide® contributions to transportation safety an Arlington County police car (including program has provided 60,453 free cab in Virginia. The awards recognize being outfitted with real police lights), rides to would-be impaired drivers in accomplishments in the public and private the rear of the vehicle is a yellow cab with the Greater Washington area. sector by individuals, state and local the decaled message, “choose your ride.” continued on page 2 continued on page 2 WRAP Champions Tougher Checkpoint Strikeforce Greater Washington DUI Laws in Virginia, Campaign Raises Awareness Law Enforcement Lauded Page 3 of DUI Enforcement, For Fight Against Page 4 Drunk Driving, Page 6 SPRING 2014 Chooser Cruiser continued from page 1 The region’s cab-cop car—which has the support of all of Greater Washington’s If you choose to celebrate the holidays with alcohol, CHOOSE YOUR RIDE.. major law enforcement agencies including DesignateDesignate aa driverdriver oror callcall WRAP’sWRAP’s SoberRide®SoberRide® atat 1-800-200-TAXI.1-800-200-TAXI. having their police badges adorning the hood of the Chooser Cruiser—is piloted by the Arlington County Police Department who position the vehicle in various public sites to remind viewers of the need for safety especially during holiday seasons. “This purposefully stark vehicle is a poignant reminder that, as every drunk driving incident is 100-percent preventable, people have a choice in how they’re transported at the end of an evening,” said Kurt Gregory Erickson, WRAP President. The development of the “Chooser Cruiser” was a public-private undertaking ® with Arlington’s Red Top Cab donating both the Ford Crown Victoria (a retired Red Top Cab taxicab) as well as the vehicle’s SoberRide “make-over” and the Arlington County Police Department donating both police lights from a retired cruiser along with 1-800-200-TAXI operational oversight of the vehicle AT&T Customers Dial #WRAP (#9727) including its current transport to a For a FREE ride HOME (up to a $30 fare) 10:00 pm to 6:00 am number of highly-visible locations. nightly from December 13, 2013 to January 1, 2014. (You must be 21 or older to use this service.) WRAP REPORTER WRAP’s award-winning “Chooser Cruiser” as depicted in the organization’s poster for its 2013 Holiday SoberRide® campaign. The WRAP Reporter is the biannual newsletter 2013 EXECUTIVE SOBERRIDE® SPONSORS: of the nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Holiday SoberRide continued from page 1 Program (WRAP), an award-winning, public- private partnership working to prevent drunk SoberRide® was offered in the: District driving and underage drinking in the of Columbia; throughout the Maryland Washington-metropolitan area. counties of Montgomery and Prince George’s; and throughout the Northern Spring 2014 Issue Virginia counties of Arlington,2013 Fairfax, GOLD SOBERRIDE® SPONSORS: Lt. Rudy Landon, Chairman (eastern) Loudoun and Prince William. Elizabeth Tobin, Vice Chairman In these areas, local taxicab companies pro- Kurt Gregory Erickson, President vided this no-cost service to local residents Washington Regional Alcohol Program Robin Black, Director of Operations age 21 and olderSome restrictionswho otherwise apply. See www.soberride.com may have for further details or call WRAP at 703.893.0461. Tammy Wan, Program Manager attempted to(SoberRide® drive ishome offered in after the District drinking. 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.) Sponsors of the 2013 Holiday Publication Design: SoberRide® is a registered trademark of the nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP). 2013SoberRide ® campaign included: Anheuser-WRAP’s “Chooser Cruiser,” pictured above, is exclusive property of WRAP and its agents. Vehicle depicted not representative of actual SoberRide® taxicab. DeNovo Creative, LLC www.denovocreative.com Busch, AT&T, Diageo, GEICO, Giant Food, MillersCoors, Red Top Cab, Restaurant Copyright 2014. The information contained Association Metropolitan Washington, herein may be reprinted with appropriate Volkswagen Group of America and the attribution. Washington Area New Automobile For more information, contact WRAP at: Dealers Association. Participating taxicab companies Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) included: Alexandria Yellow Cab; Barwood; 8300 Boone Boulevard, Suite 730 Fairfax Yellow Cab; Loudoun Yellow Cab; Vienna, Virginia 22182 Manassas Cab Company; Red Top Cab; tel: 703.893.0461 fax: 703.893.0465 Silver Cab of Prince George’s County; Maryland State Police Superintendent Colonel Marcus L. email: [email protected] Yellow Cab of D.C.; and Yellow Cab of Brown helps launch WRAP’s 2013 Holiday SoberRide® web: www.wrap.org www.soberride.com Prince William County. campaign. 2 SPRING 2014 WRAP Champions Tougher DUI Laws in Virginia WRAP’s fight against both drunk driving second chance, they don’t deserve a second and underage drinking in the Washington- or subsequent “first offense.” (Virginia’s metropolitan area takes the nonprofit Commonwealth Attorneys also opposed organization to Annapolis, Richmond the bill.) and Washington, D.C. in championing On January 29, 2014, Virginia’s House public policies aiming to create effective of Delegates’ Courts of Justice Committee’s deterrents to both impaired driving and Criminal Law Subcommittee officially teen drinking. What follows, and due to tabled HB 1154 effectively killing the this newsletter’s print schedule, is a summary measure this year. of WRAP’s 2014 legislative highlights in The press time status of other 2014 Virginia. DUI legislation in Virginia is as follows: “For some people, dead bills represented A live: victories,” reported The Washington Post eliminate the current time restrictions for probation (January 12, 2014) and no words were truer afforded to repeat DUI offenders (SB 482 which now spoken as applied to anti-drunk driving includes SB 190) and underage drinking legislation and replace Virginia’s one-year driver’s license suspension introduced this year in Richmond. period for DUI offenders with one year subject to ignition Amongst the 2,555 bills introduced interlock (SB 450) in the 2014 session of Virginia’s General Assembly, the stopped forward progress of D ead: WRAP President Kurt Erickson (left) visits with Virginia mandate a parental