For the 18th straight year, the Automobile Club of Southern California will offer its free Tipsy Tow service for intoxicated drivers during the Fourth of July holiday.
A free tow home of up to seven miles will be available by calling (800) 400-4222 and telling the operator, “I need a Tipsy Tow,” according to the Auto Club.
The service, which employs regular Auto Club-contracted roadside service companies, is available in 13 Southern California counties. It will be available from 6 p.m. Friday until 11:59 p.m. Saturday.
Anita Lorz Villagrana, the Auto Club’s community programs and traffic safety manager, said the key to staying safe is to designate a driver and plan in advance.
“It only takes one or two drinks to slow physical and mental skills that affect vision, steering, braking judgment, and reaction time,” she said. “Drivers should be aware that the California Highway Patrol and law enforcement agencies are likely using sobriety checkpoints and extra patrols to look for drinking drivers during the holiday.”
There are some limitations to the program:
- passengers don’t get rides;
- the service is limited to a one-way, one-time ride for the driver; and
- vehicles will only be towed to the driver’s residence.
Regular tow service rates apply for any ride longer than seven miles, according to the Auto Club.
More than 175,000 drivers were arrested for driving while intoxicated in California in 2012, the last year for which results are available, and a recent survey found that 14 percent of motorists admitted to driving at least once in the past year when they felt they were probably over the legal limit, according to the Auto Club.
“This is entirely preventable,” Lorz Villagrana said.
— City News Service contributed to this story