Auto Club offers free ‘Tipsy Tow’ to drunk drivers
Initiative available for Fourth of July holiday
For the 15th straight year, the Automobile Club of Southern California is offering its free Tipsy Tow service for intoxicated drivers during the July Fourth holiday, the organization announced today.
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 an Auto Club statement.
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. Tuesday to 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, the statement said.
There are some limitations, however: 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.
“It only takes one or two drinks to slow physical and mental skills that affect vision, steering, braking judgment and reaction time,” said Auto Club senior researcher Steve Bloch. He noted that the California Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies will run sobriety checkpoints and extra patrols to look for intoxicated drivers during the holiday period.
Nearly 200,000 drivers were arrested for driving while intoxicated in California in 2010, 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,” Bloch said.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—For the 14th year in a row, the Automobile Club of Southern California will offer free towing on New Year's Eve in an attempt to keep drunken drivers off the road.
The Tipsy Tow program will be available to intoxicated drivers from 6 p.m. Friday until 6 a.m. Saturday in the 13 counties served by the Auto Club. Motorists, bartenders, restaurant managers, party hosts or passengers of a drinking driver can call (800) 400-4AAA for a free tow to the driver's residence of up to seven miles away.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—In preparation for this weekend’s planned St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, the Los Angeles Police Department has scheduled a series of DUI/driver’s license checkpoints and saturation patrols citywide.
Tonight’s DUI stops include the following locations, all beginning at 8 p.m. and continuing until 2 a.m.:
• West Los Angeles, Santa Monica Boulevard at Carmelina Avenue;
• North Hollywood, Victory Boulevard at Bellingham Avenue;
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—For the 15th year in a row, the Automobile Club of Southern California will offer free towing during the Fourth of July weekend in an attempt to keep drunken drivers off the road.
The Tipsy Tow program will be available to intoxicated drivers from 6 p.m. Saturday until 11:59 p.m. Monday 13 counties served by the Auto Club.
Motorists, bartenders, restaurant managers, party hosts or passengers of a drinking driver can call (800) 400-4AAA for a free tow to the driver’s residence of up to seven miles away.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—A newly approved pay-as-you-drive state initiative allows Southland motorists to pay for car insurance based on how much they drive, insurance officials announced.
"The voluntary pay-as-you-drive initiative is an innovative program that will allow insurers to offer plans based on more accurate mileage, so that people who choose to drive less will pay less for auto insurance,'' said Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner.
For a decade, 0.08 has been the blood alcohol benchmark to consider a driver intoxicated
National Transportation Safety Board would like to see a nationwide 0.05 level
The board would also like to see swifter action on taking away offenders’ licenses
