BAY AREA (KRON)– Don’t drink and drive.
It’s been said over and over, but still, people do it.
Now, an insurance company is hoping to cut down on the number of drivers who drive under the influence.
For St. Patrick’s Day, the American Automobile Association’s Northern California branch is making it even easier to be a responsible person, offering to take drivers who’ve been drinking home for free along with their vehicles.
Starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday until 6 a.m. Wednesday, AAA’s “Tipsy Tow” will be available to everybody in the area, regardless of whether or not they are AAA members.
Drivers who’ve been drinking Tuesday night can call (800) 222-4357 and ask the operator for a “tipsy tow.”
AAA will provide a one-way tow to the driver’s house if it is within 10 miles.
Passengers are allowed in the tow truck, as long as there is room.
“If you’ve been drinking alcohol, don’t get behind the wheel,” AAA
spokeswoman Cytnhia Harris said in a statement. “Give AAA a call and we’ll
make sure you get home safely.”
If a driver is caught under the influence, a first time conviction can cost about $15,650 in fines, penalties, restitution, legal fees and increased insurance costs.
Not only that, AAA calculates that in 2013, 160,000 people were arrested for drunk driving in California, and 24,000 people were killed or hurt in alcohol related crashes.