Automobile Club offers “Tipsy Tow” service for July 4th Holiday

For the 16th straight year, the Automobile Club of Southern California will offer its free Tipsy Tow service for intoxicated drivers during the Fourth of July holiday, beginning Wednesday night.

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. today until 11:59 p.m. Thursday.

There are some limitations: 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 182,000 drivers were arrested for driving while intoxicated in California in 2011, 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.