Auto Club Offers Tipsy Tow Service on Fourth of July
2 July 1998
Auto Club Offers Tipsy Tow Service on Fourth of July to Help Reduce Holiday Drinking and Driving
LOS ANGELES--July 2, 1998--More people are killed or injured in alcohol-related traffic collisions in California over the Fourth of July holiday than any winter holiday, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.To keep the holiday safer for all motorists, the Auto Club is offering Tipsy Tow, a community service that provides a free ride home for drinking drivers and their vehicles.
"The public often associates drinking and driving under the influence with the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's holidays, and organizations have typically focused on drinking and driving education at those times of year," said Arline Dillman, Ph.D., the Auto Club's traffic safety expert.
"While people celebrate and drink during the winter holidays, the fact is that summer holidays are actually a more lethal time for alcohol-related collisions."
Over the past five years, a statewide average of 172 people have been killed or injured in alcohol-related traffic crashes during the Fourth of July holiday, according to an Auto Club analysis. That's 30 percent more than the five-year daily average of 132 deaths and injuries for Thanksgiving and 12 percent more than the 153 deaths and injuries for the New Year's holiday.
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 anytime on Saturday, July 4, 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. The service is available only on the Fourth of July.
"More than 200,000 Californians are arrested for driving under the influence annually, which translates into one person every 2.5 minutes. We'd like to reduce that number and make roads and highways safer for motorists," said Dillman.
Summer is the traditional time for vacations or long weekend excursions, trips to the beach, backyard picnics and barbecues, which contribute to a more relaxed atmosphere and more drinking, according to Dillman.
Drinking drivers frequently fail to seek and obtain alternative 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.
"People may think they know their safe alcohol limit, but it only takes a drink or two to slow physical and mental skills and affect vision, steering, braking judgement and reaction time," Dillman said. "Tipsy Tow is intended to give motorists another, safer option for getting themselves and their vehicle home, instead of driving while intoxicated," she added.
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, 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, financial products, travel agency and trip planning services, highway and transportation safety programs, insurance products and services, automotive pricing, buying and financing programs, automotive testing and analysis and legislative advocacy.
Information about these products and services is available on the Auto Club's web site at www.aaa-calif.com.
