(Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES -- With police stepping up DUI patrols this Fourth of July weekend, the Automobile Club of Southern California is also doing its part to keep drunken drivers off the roadways.
The "Tipsy Tow" program will be offered from 6 p.m. Friday through 12:01 a.m. Saturday in the 13 Southland counties served by the Auto Club.
This is the12th consecutive year the service has been provided.
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 7 miles away.
Callers should simply 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 greater than 7 miles, drivers will be expected to pay the normal rate charged by the tow truck operator.
"All motorists 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've been drinking," said Steve Bloch, the Auto Club's traffic safety researcher.
The Auto Club offered the following safety tips:
-- Designate a non-drinking driver who can get everyone home safely
-- Call a friend or family member for a ride home if you have been drinking
-- Keep 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
-- Take car keys away from friends and relatives who have had too much to drink.
Meanwhile, two DUI sobriety checkpoints were scheduled to begin Friday in the Los Angeles area.
A sobriety checkpoint on Pacific Coast Highway in Wilmington between Eubank and Broad avenues will run from 6 p.m. Friday until 2 a.m. Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The checkpoint is designed to remind the Wilmington community not to drink and drive and to use designated drivers.
Another sobriety checkpoint will run in Highland Park at York Boulevard and North Avenue 46 from 7 p.m. Friday to 12:30 a.m. Saturday, according to the LAPD.
This checkpoint will be implemented in response to the high incidence of DUI traffic collisions that occurred in the area during the last three months, according to the LAPD.
Additionally, the California Highway Patrol will be in "maximum enforcement" mode, with 80 percent of its officers on freeways and county roads, looking for DUI suspects, speeders and seatbelt violators.
Five checkpoints are slated for Friday night in Riverside County, including Coachella, Corona, Moreno Valley, Murrieta and Riverside.
Four checkpoints are also set for Saturday in Blythe, Desert Hot Springs, La Quinta and Riverside.
On Sunday, there will be five checkpoints in Moreno Valley, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage and Riverside.
----
For a complete list of July 4th events in Southern California, visit: http://www.pubclub.com/fourthjuly/losangeles.htm
The "Tipsy Tow" program will be offered from 6 p.m. Friday through 12:01 a.m. Saturday in the 13 Southland counties served by the Auto Club.
This is the12th consecutive year the service has been provided.
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 7 miles away.
Callers should simply 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 greater than 7 miles, drivers will be expected to pay the normal rate charged by the tow truck operator.
"All motorists 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've been drinking," said Steve Bloch, the Auto Club's traffic safety researcher.
The Auto Club offered the following safety tips:
-- Designate a non-drinking driver who can get everyone home safely
-- Call a friend or family member for a ride home if you have been drinking
-- Keep 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
-- Take car keys away from friends and relatives who have had too much to drink.
Meanwhile, two DUI sobriety checkpoints were scheduled to begin Friday in the Los Angeles area.
A sobriety checkpoint on Pacific Coast Highway in Wilmington between Eubank and Broad avenues will run from 6 p.m. Friday until 2 a.m. Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The checkpoint is designed to remind the Wilmington community not to drink and drive and to use designated drivers.
Another sobriety checkpoint will run in Highland Park at York Boulevard and North Avenue 46 from 7 p.m. Friday to 12:30 a.m. Saturday, according to the LAPD.
This checkpoint will be implemented in response to the high incidence of DUI traffic collisions that occurred in the area during the last three months, according to the LAPD.
Additionally, the California Highway Patrol will be in "maximum enforcement" mode, with 80 percent of its officers on freeways and county roads, looking for DUI suspects, speeders and seatbelt violators.
Five checkpoints are slated for Friday night in Riverside County, including Coachella, Corona, Moreno Valley, Murrieta and Riverside.
Four checkpoints are also set for Saturday in Blythe, Desert Hot Springs, La Quinta and Riverside.
On Sunday, there will be five checkpoints in Moreno Valley, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage and Riverside.
----
For a complete list of July 4th events in Southern California, visit: http://www.pubclub.com/fourthjuly/losangeles.htm
