New Year’s Eve revelers in the Washington area can receive a free lift home through the SoberRide program.

Taxi companies in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia are offering free rides from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. through Monday for people who have had too much too drink and should not be driving.

The legal blood-alcohol content in the city and two states is 0.08 percent. How much a person needs to drink to reach the legal limit varies based on gender and weight. A 150-pound man, for example, will reach the level by drinking four 12-ounce cans of beer over two hours, according to the Web site healthstatus.com.

A pickup can be arranged by calling 1-800-200-TAXI. Rides are free up to a $50 fare.

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“Last New Year’s Eve, 432 Greater Washington residents did the right thing and availed themselves of this lifesaving service rather than possibly driving home impaired,” said Kurt Erickson, president of the Washington Regional Alcohol Program, which organizes the free-ride initiative.

“For SoberRide’s hours of operation last New Year’s Eve, such ridership translates into the removal of a would-be drunk driver from our shared roadways nearly every single minute.”

Getting drunken drivers off the road is especially important around the New Year’s holiday. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, alcohol played a role in half of the 471 traffic fatalities that occurred on New Year’s Day 2006. In 2004, nearly 70 percent of New Year’s Day traffic deaths were alcohol-related.

Federal authorities are organizing a nationwide crackdown on drunken driving, including airing $7 million worth of radio and television commercials leading up to New Year’s Eve and helping coordinate the setup of additional sobriety checkpoints and road patrols.

jrogalsky@dcexaminer.com