Auto Club Expands Tipsy Tow Service to Cover Entire Fourth of July Weekend
28 June 2000
Auto Club Expands Tipsy Tow Service to Cover Entire Fourth of July Weekend
LOS ANGELES - This year marks the first time the Automobile Club of Southern California is offering its free Tipsy Tow service to the public during the entire Fourth of July weekend.Previously, the Auto Club's Tipsy Tow service was offered only on July 4. The service provides a safe alternative to drinking and driving.
Motorists, bartenders, restaurant managers, party hosts or passengers of a drinking driver may call 800/400-4AAA anytime from 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 1, to midnight, Tuesday, July 4, and request a tow home of up to seven miles. Callers simply tell the Auto Club operator, "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. The service is available only between 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 1, to midnight, Tuesday, July 4. Tipsy Tow is available in the 13 Southern California counties served by the Auto Club.
"We want motorists to be aware of the high crash risk from drinking and driving associated with holidays and encourage them to think twice before getting behind the wheel if they have been drinking," said Arline Dillman, Ph.D., the Auto Club's traffic safety manager.
The Fourth of July is a traditional time for long weekend excursions, parties, trips to the beach, backyard picnics and barbecues, activities that contribute to a more relaxed atmosphere and more drinking, according to Dillman.
"It only takes one or two drinks to slow physical and mental skills and affect vision, steering, braking judgement and reaction time," Dillman said. "We hope drivers are aware that the CHP and police departments are likely to be using extra patrols to look for drinking drivers during holidays."
While the number of Californians arrested for driving under the influence in 1998 is the lowest in more than 20 years, it's still disturbingly high-nearly 190,000, according to Dillman. Statewide annual alcohol-related fatal crashes have also steadily decreased and are nearly 60 percent lower than they were 20 years ago. "We'd like to see these numbers reduced even further, particularly the high numbers during the holidays," added Dillman.
Drinking drivers frequently fail to seek and obtain alternative ways to get home because they are concerned about the retrieval of their vehicle, the expense of taxis and the inconvenience of alternative transportation. Tipsy Tow is intended to give motorists a safer option for getting themselves and their vehicle home, instead of driving while intoxicated.
The Auto Club advises that motorists can keep themselves and others safe and can avoid DUI arrests by keeping these driving safety tips in mind over the summer holidays:
-- At social events, designate a non-drinking driver who can get
everyone home safely.
-- Call a friend or family member for a ride if you've 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, provide a gift to guests who volunteer to be
designated drivers and arrange transportation through programs
such as Tipsy Tow for guests who have been drinking.
-- Take the car keys away from friends and relatives who have had
too much to drink.
The Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest affiliate of the AAA, has been serving members since 1900. Today, the Auto Club's members benefit by the organization's roadside assistance, insurance services, travel agency, financial products, automotive pricing, buying and financing programs, automotive testing and analysis, trip planning services, highway and transportation safety programs and legislative advocacy.