{"id":6366,"date":"2011-12-29T16:45:33","date_gmt":"2011-12-30T00:45:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sierramadrenews.net\/?p=6366"},"modified":"2011-12-29T16:45:33","modified_gmt":"2011-12-30T00:45:33","slug":"auto-club-offers-free-rides-for-drivers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.sierramadrenews.net\/?p=6366","title":{"rendered":"Auto Club Offers Free Rides for Drivers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Automobile Club of Southern California is offering its free Tipsy Tow service during the New Year\u2019s Eve holiday for the 15th<\/sup><\/span> consecutive year.\u00a0 The community service is available from 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 30, to 6 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 1, to help remove drinking drivers from the road.\u00a0 Tipsy Tow is available in the 13 Southern California counties served by the Auto Club.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
Motorists, bartenders, restaurant managers, party hosts or passengers of a drinking driver may call 1-800-400-4AAA for a free tow home<\/strong> of up to seven miles.\u00a0 Callers simply tell the Auto Club operators, \u201cI need a Tipsy Tow,\u201d to receive the free tow and ride home.\u00a0 A regular Auto Club-contracted roadside service truck will be dispatched. \u00a0The Auto Club\u2019s free service is unique in that it transports both the driver and their vehicle.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
Drinking drivers frequently don\u2019t plan for other ways to get home because they are concerned about retrieving their vehicle the next day.\u00a0 They cite taxi costs and inconvenience as reasons they don\u2019t use alternate transportation, according to the Auto Club.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
Callers need to keep in mind that the service excludes rides for passengers<\/strong>, is restricted to a one-way, one-time ride for the driver<\/strong> and the destination is limited to the driver\u2019s residence.\u00a0 Reservations are not accepted.\u00a0 For rides farther than seven miles, drivers can expect to pay the rate charged by the tow truck contractor.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cDrivers should be aware of the high crash risk from drinking and driving associated with holidays and we encourage them not to get behind the wheel if they\u2019ve been drinking,\u201d said the Auto Club\u2019s senior researcher Steve Bloch.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
New Year\u2019s Eve is a traditional time for family gatherings, parties, restaurant outings and activities that contribute to a more relaxed atmosphere and more opportunities for drinking alcohol, according to Bloch.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cIt only takes one or two drinks to slow physical and mental skills that affect vision, steering, braking judgment, and reaction time,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cDrivers should be aware that the California Highway Patrol and law enforcement agencies use sobriety checkpoints and extra patrols to look for drinking drivers during the holiday.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
California arrests large numbers of DUI offenders every year, enough to fill LA Memorial Coliseum twice.\u00a0 In 2010 (latest data available) 198,249 drivers were arrested for the offense.\u00a0 \u201cMotorists need to be aware that many enforcement agencies are targeting drinking drivers and as a result, arrests for DUI in the state have increased by 11 percent since 2001,\u201d according to Bloch.\u00a0 \u201cThe toll from drinking and driving in California is enormous,\u201d Bloch added.\u00a0 \u201cIn 2009, the latest data available, more than 27,000 persons were killed or injured in alcohol-related crashes.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
A recent AAA report found that 10 percent of motorists admit to driving when they thought their blood alcohol content was above the legal limit.\u00a0 \u201cThis is entirely preventable,\u201d said Bloch.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
People convicted of driving under the influence could lose many of the important things in their lives, such as family, job, dignity and money.\u00a0 The Auto Club estimates that a first time DUI conviction in California can cost approximately $12,176 or more in fines, penalties, restitution, legal fees and increased insurance costs.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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 during the past 13 years.\u00a0 The Auto Club provides the Tipsy Tow service and free publications as part of its \u201cYou Drink.\u00a0 You Drive.\u00a0 You Lose.\u201d public awareness campaign.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
The Auto Club advises that motorists can keep themselves and others safe and can avoid DUI arrests by keeping these safety tips in mind:<\/span><\/div>\n
    <\/p>\n
  • At social events, designate non-drinking drivers who can get everyone home safely.<\/li>\n
  • Call a friend or family member for a ride home if you have been drinking.<\/li>\n
  • Keep a cab company telephone number in your wallet so you can call for a ride home.<\/li>\n
  • As a party host, offer a variety of non-alcoholic drink alternatives and provide a gift to guests who volunteer to be designated drivers.<\/li>\n
  • Take the car keys away from friends and relatives who have had too much to drink.<\/li>\n

    <\/span><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The Automobile Club of Southern California is offering its free Tipsy Tow service during the New Year\u2019s Eve holiday for the 15th consecutive year.\u00a0 The community service is available from 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sierramadrenews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6366"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sierramadrenews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sierramadrenews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sierramadrenews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sierramadrenews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6366"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.sierramadrenews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6366\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sierramadrenews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sierramadrenews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sierramadrenews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}