Auto Club Offers Tipsy Tow Service for Independence Day
The Automobile Club of Southern California will offer its free Tipsy Tow service to help keep drinking drivers off the road during the Fourth of July holiday period. The service is available from 6 p.m. on Monday, July 3 until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, July 4. Tipsy Tow is available in the 13 Southern California counties served by the Auto Club.
Motorists, bartenders, restaurant managers, party hosts or passengers of a drinking driver may call 1-800-400-4AAA for a free tow home of up to seven miles. Callers simply tell the Auto Club operators, "I need a Tipsy Tow," to receive the free tow and ride home. A regular Auto Club-contracted emergency road service truck will be dispatched.
Callers need to keep in mind that the service excludes rides for passengers, is restricted to a one-way, one-time ride for the driver, and the destination is limited to the driver's residence. Reservations are not accepted. Drivers can expect to pay the rate charged by the tow truck contractor for rides farther than seven miles.
"We want motorists to be aware of the high crash risk from drinking and driving associated with holidays -- especially party-oriented ones like July 4th -- and encourage the public to think twice about getting behind the wheel if they have been drinking," said Steven Bloch, Ph.D., senior traffic safety analyst for the Auto Club.
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"It takes only one or two drinks to slow physical and mental skills and affect vision, steering, braking, judgement and reaction time," Bloch said. "We hope drivers are aware that the CHP and law enforcement agencies are likely to be using extra patrols to look for drinking drivers during holidays."
Bloch said 183,000 Californians -- or an average of more than 500 per day -- were arrested for driving under the influence in 2004. Safety and education efforts by the Auto Club and other groups have helped dramatically lower the number of DUI arrests since 1982, when 345,000 were arrested for DUI. Statewide annual alcohol-related fatal and injury crashes have also decreased sharply, from 49,000 in 1981 to slightly more than 22,000 in 2004. "We'd like to see these numbers reduced even further, particularly the high numbers during the holidays," added Bloch.
Drinking drivers frequently don't plan for other ways to get home because they are concerned about retrieving their vehicle. They cite the expense of taxis and time inconvenience as the major reasons they don't use alternative transportation, according to the Auto Club. Tipsy Tow provides motorists with a safe ride home for themselves and their vehicles instead of driving while intoxicated.
People convicted of driving under the influence could lose many of the most important things in their lives, such as family, job, dignity and money. The Auto Club estimates that a first time DUI conviction can cost about $12,000 in fines, penalties, restitution, legal fees and insurance costs.
The Auto Club advises:
-- At social events, designate non-drinking drivers who can get everyone home safely. -- Call a friend or family member for a ride if you have been drinking. -- Keep a cab company telephone number in your wallet so you can call for a ride home. -- As a party host, offer a variety of non-alcoholic drink alternatives and provide a gift to guests who volunteer to be designated drivers. -- Take the car keys away from friends and relatives who have had too much to drink.
