[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 20019]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    IN RECOGNITION OF GEORGE PAKIDIS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 13, 2011

  Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize George 
Pakidis for his years of service in the fight against drunk driving.
  Each year thousands of people are injured or killed by drunk drivers. 
The numbers of accidents and fatalities skyrocket during holiday 
seasons, especially Independence Day and New Year's Eve. To help 
prevent these senseless tragedies, local business leaders worked with 
law enforcement and government agencies to develop programs that would 
keep intoxicated drivers off of our roads. George Pakidis is one of the 
leaders in this effort.
  For 14 years, George has served on the Board of Washington Regional 
Alcohol Program (WRAP). Founded in 1982, WRAP is an award winning 
public-private coalition that seeks to prevent drunk driving, drugged 
driving, and underage drinking in the Washington metropolitan area 
through innovative education programs and advocacy. As Vice President 
of Red Top Cab, a regional taxi service based in Northern Virginia, 
George recognized an opportunity to decrease the number of instances of 
drunk driving by spearheading a free cab ride service known as 
SoberRide, which functions as part of the WRAP program. In the 12 years 
that George has been its Chairman, SoberRide has grown to include nine 
participating taxi companies and has kept more than 52,000 drunk 
drivers off of our roads. His innovative approach to this problem has 
prevented countless accidents and saved thousands of lives.
  George will soon be retiring from Red Top Cab as well as from his 
positions with WRAP and SoberRide. His leadership and foresight will be 
greatly missed. During his tenure the number of accidents has declined 
significantly, and the regional alcohol-related traffic death rate is 
consistently lower than the national average.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in thanking George 
Pakidis for his immeasurable service to our community and for his 
efforts to eradicate drunk driving. Let us wish George continued 
success in his retirement.

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