AAA Provides Free Tow Service To New Year’s Eve Revelers

COACHELLA VALLEY – Starting December 31, the Automobile Club of Southern California will offer free towing in an attempt to keep drunken drivers off the road during the New Year’s holiday.

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.

Callers should tell operators they want a Tipsy Tow, and a tow truck under contract to the Auto Club will be dispatched. The service does not include rides for passengers and is restricted to a one-way, one-time ride for the driver. For distances longer than seven miles, drivers will be expected to pay the normal rate charged by the tow truck operator.

A first-time drunken driving conviction can cost $13,500 or more in fines, penalties, restitution, legal fees and increased insurance costs, according to the Auto Club.

The Auto Club suggests:

designating a non-drinking driver who can get everyone home safely calling a friend or family member for a ride home if you have been drinking keeping a taxi company number in your wallet so you can call for a ride home as a party host, offer non-alcoholic drinks and provide a gift to guests who volunteer to be designated drivers, and take keys away from friends and relatives who have had too much to drink.