Tipsy Tow’: Drunk Driving Alternative
Allen Beveridge
With drunk driving being a problem, especially when the holiday season is around the corner, there are solutions to put a halt to it.
Alcohol is often a component of festivities as demonstrated by 3,537 DUI arrests that occurred in Arizona between Thanksgiving of 2010 and New Year’s Day of 2011. Although drinking and driving has become socially unacceptable, one out of 10 drivers still admits to having driven under influence, or somewhat impaired at least once in the last year.
Thanks to efforts of local cab and tow-truck companies, party-goers have the opportunity to wake up in their own beds, free of a drinking-and-driving charge, or something possibly much worse.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) recommends that adults designate a sober driver before celebrations begin.
Discount Cab offers their Free Ride Back program. Entering its 12th year, the program is designed to pick up impaired drivers, take them home for an inexpensive fare, and then return them to their vehicle the following day free of charge. There are some limitations, but the service is available throughout the year.
AAA Arizona has taken the concept a step further by offering the Tipsy Tow service. AAA allows the driver, one passenger and the vehicle to be taken to the driver’s home or hotel free of charge within a 10-mile limit. AAA only provides this service on specific holidays, such as New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Super Bowl Sunday.
