Wednesday is Halloween, and there will be more than a few parties around town where adults will reveal their subconscious selves by dressing up in various costumes. It is very likely that a few adult beverages might also be served. That means that there may be some people who have too much to drink and run the risk of driving drunk or impaired.

Once again this year, the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) will offer its SoberRide program. The beauty of this program is that you don’t have to plan ahead to take advantage of it. You don’t have to make a reservation in anticipation that you might have too much to drink. If you find that you or a friend or co-worker isn’t able to drive, then all you have to do is call 1-800-200-TAXI from most of the areas close to Washington. One of the caveats is that you must be over the age of 21 to use this service.

SoberRide works with local cab companies. Calling 1-800-200-TAXI will connect you with a dispatcher who will then contact a cab close to where you are to pick you up and take you home. The other thing that’s nice about this is that because of the many sponsors of the program like Anheuser-Busch; AT&T; Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation; Red Top Cab of Arlington and the Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association, your ride (up to a $50 fare) is free. It would also be nice if the cab driver got a tip for his or her effort.

A number of cabs in the District have threatened to go on strike this Halloween to protest the planned switch from the zone system to meters. The belief on the part of those involved in SoberRide is that the number of cabs participating in a work stoppage during the evening hours will be small and should not have an impact on the program’s ability to deliver safe rides home for those calling 1-800-200-TAXI.

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Fast talkers not wanted

Mary writes: “One of the first issues Metro needs to address as they tackle communications is the way they handle announcements over the loudspeaker system. Few things are more maddening when using the Metro than to hear their attempts at announcing a breakdown/slowdown in the system but you can’t understand the person talking.

“Please use your column to communicate to the Metro system that the person making announcements needs - - to - - talk - - very - - slowly - - and - - distinctly - - so - - we - - can - - understand - - what - - they - - are - - saying.”

OK, I’ll do that. By the way, that experiment up in Boston to communicate with subway riders isn’t going so well. A couple of weeks ago, I told you about the launch of something called T-Radio on Boston’s subway system. It was an experiment in four rail stations that was to last until Thanksgiving, when it would be evaluated. It didn’t make it.

Just like many of you who wrote to say what a terrible idea you thought it would be to bring it here to Washington, T-Radio was roundly lambasted by riders on Boston’s “T.” They hated it. They said it created too much noise, that the musical selections were lame, that the trivia questions were too easy and that the commercials were an intrusion. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has pulled the plug, and while it says it will re-evaluate the situation, I think you can stick a fork in it, because it’s done.