Auto Club Offers Free Tow Service On New Year's Eve
30 December 1998
Auto Club Offers Free Tipsy Tow Service On New Year's Eve to Help Reduce Holiday Drinking and Driving
LOS ANGELES--Dec. 29, 1998--To help keep New Year's Eve safe for all motorists, the Automobile Club of Southern California is offering free Tipsy Tow rides home for drinking drivers and their vehicles.
"Drivers who drink contribute to three traffic-related deaths each day and an injury every 17 minutes in California," said Arline Dillman, Ph.D., the Auto Club's traffic safety expert.
"Over the past five years, a statewide average of 153 people have been killed or injured in alcohol-related traffic crashes each day during the New Year's holiday. Based on recent years, we estimate that 400 to 500 people statewide will be killed or injured in alcohol-related crashes this year during the New Year's holiday weekend."
Between 6 p.m. on New Year's Eve and 6 a.m. on New Year's Day, motorists, bartenders, restaurant managers, party hosts or passengers of a drinking driver in the 13 Southern California counties the Auto Club serves may call 800/400-4AAA for a free 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.
"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. Tipsy Tow provides motorists with a safe ride home instead of driving while intoxicated," said Dillman.
"People may think they know how much to drink and still stay in control, but it only takes a drink or two to slow physical and mental skills and affect vision, steering, braking, judgment and reaction time," explained Dillman.
"As a result, more than 190,000 Californians were arrested for driving under the influence in 1997, which translates into one person every 2.7 minutes. We'd like to reduce that number and make roads and highways safer for motorists."
Dillman added that people convicted of driving under the influence can 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 $11,000 in fines, penalties, restitution and legal fees, and insurance costs.
Current laws, enforcement, public awareness and education efforts by public service-oriented organizations, including the Auto Club, have contributed to the decline in the number of alcohol-related fatalities and injuries for the past 10 years. The Auto Club provides the Tipsy Tow service and free publications as part of its "You Drink. You Drive. You Lose." public awareness campaign.
Publications available to the public at Auto Club offices throughout Southern California include:
-- Estimated Costs for First Misdemeanor DUI Conviction for
California
-- None for the Road: A Guide to California's DUI Laws
-- Host a Holiday Party Your Friends Will Love and Live to Tell
About (includes recipes for alcohol-free drinks)
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:
-- 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, 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 emergency road service, insurance products and 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.
Information about these products and services is available on the Auto Club's Web site at www.aaa-calif.com.
Note to editors: Call 714/885-2333 if you would like to receive publications.
How to Detect an Impaired Driver
-- Driving too fast or too slow for road conditions.
-- Crossing the centerline repeatedly.
-- Signaling inconsistent with driving.
-- Weaving, swerving, or drifting between lanes and the sides of
the road, especially unsteady sudden steering corrections.
-- Accelerating and braking erratically.
-- Driving with the headlights off at night.
-- Making wider turns than necessary.
-- Responding slowly to traffic signals (sudden stops, delayed
starts).
-- Coming too close to other vehicles or objects.
-- Stopping without cause.
-- Turning abruptly or illegally.
-- Varying speed
Two or more of these signs substantially increase the probability that the driver is DUI.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Automobile Club of Southern California
How to Report an Impaired Driver
-- Call 911 or your local law enforcement agency as soon as
possible.
-- Tell them you wish to report a suspected impaired driver.
-- Describe how the vehicle is being driven -- be specific.
-- Describe the vehicle in detail -- color, model, license number
or distinguishing marks.
-- Give the exact location including road, direction traveling
in, mile marker (if applicable).
Source: Automobile Club of Southern California
What Not to Do When You See an Impaired Driver
-- Don't attempt to stop the vehicle.
-- Don't attempt to follow the vehicle if it is dangerously
exceeding the speed limit, going somewhere you don't usually go,
or hazardous driving conditions exist.
-- Don't ignore traffic signals to keep the driver in view.
-- Don't follow too closely as the driver may stop suddenly.
-- Don't concentrate so hard on following the impaired driver
that you become a hazard to others.
-- Don't attempt to restrain the driver if the vehicle stops.
-- Don't act as a law enforcement, fire or emergency medical
person unless you are one.
-- Don't assist the arresting officer unless requested.
Source: Automobile Club of Southern California
DUI FACT SHEET
DUI & THE LAW
-- A motorist arrested with a blood alcohol level (BAC) of .08%
or higher will be charged with Driving Under the Influence (DUI).
-- Motorists under the age of 21 may not operate a motor vehicle
if their BAC is .01% or higher.
-- Penalties for a first time DUI conviction can include
on-the-spot driver's license suspension for four months, jail
time and $11,000 in court fines and penalties, alcohol education
fees, legal costs and increased insurance costs.
-- A second time DUI conviction can result in two days in jail or
10 days of community service, loss of a driver's license for 18
months, and the required installation of an "ignition interlock"
device which prevents a car from starting if the driver has been
drinking.
-- More than 190,000 Californians are convicted of driving under
the influence annually, which translates to one person every 2.7
minutes.
AUTO CLUB AND TIPSY TOW BACKGROUND
-- The Auto Club will provide a free tow and ride home from
6 p.m. New Year's Eve to 6 a.m. New Year's Day as part of its
community service called Tipsy Tow.
-- Restaurant managers, bartenders, party hosts, motorists or
their passengers can call 800/400-4AAA to request Tipsy Tow
service by saying "I need a Tipsy Tow."
-- For decades, the Auto Club has provided elementary through
high school teachers with AAA alcohol education curricula free of
charge to help teach students to make safe choices regarding
drinking and driving.
TIPS FOR AVOIDING DUI
-- 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 phone number in your wallet.
-- Drink at home or at a neighbor's house where you don't have to
drive 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 home through
programs such as Tipsy Tow for guests who have been drinking.
-- Take the car keys from friends who have had too much to drink.
Recipes for Alcohol-Free Drinks From the Automobile Club of Southern California
White Zin Raspberry Fooler
4 oz. non-alcoholic white zinfandel 1 oz. raspberry daiquiri mix 2-1/2 oz. lemon-lime soft drink 1/2 oz. grenadine 1 tsp. sugar
Combine all ingredients, stir and serve with a smile.
Cafe Remy
Amaretto coffee beans candy sprinkles 1 tbsp. vanilla extract whipped cream 1 tsp. almond extract chocolate-covered 1 tsp. cocoa powder strawberries, if desired 1 tsp. sugar
Brew coffee. Add flavorings, 1 tsp. chocolate and sugar per cup. Garnish with whipped cream on top, along with chocolate and red candy sprinkles and a chocolate-covered strawberry on top.
The Natural
1/2 banana 1/4 apple, with skin 6 medium-sized strawberries, plus fresh strawberries for garnish 2 oz. fresh pineapple 2 oz. natural apple juice 1/2 cup ice
Blend all ingredients. Serve in wine glass, garnish with fresh strawberries.
Red Nose Remedy
1/2 cup vanilla ice cream whipped cream 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice maraschino cherries 1 cup crushed ice 1/4 cup grape juice 1/4 cup cranberry juice 1 tbsp. frozen lemonade concentrate 1 tbsp. sweetener
Mix ice cream, orange juice and ice together. Stir grape juice, cranberry juice, lemonade concentrate and sweetener together until smooth. Pour it on top of the ice cream. Top with whipped cream and a cherry.