AAA activated its free tow program Friday for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays as a way for impaired drivers to stay off the road.
“If you’re faced with the decision of driving impaired, put down those keys and pick up the phone to call Tow to Go,” Megan Cooper, a spokesperson for AAA, said Friday in an announcement of the start of the annual year-end offer. “We’ll dispatch a truck to take you and your vehicle to a safe location within a 10-mile radius.”
Starting Friday, the auto club began its Tow to Go program in Tennessee, Georgia and eight other states for its 25th year. Tow to Go is now active until 6 a.m. Jan. 2.
Since its inception, AAA says, Tow to Go has removed more than 25,000 impaired drivers from the road.
Cooper said AAA service technicians expect to help more than 937,000 drivers with car trouble during the upcoming holidays so she said Tow to Go should be used as a last resort. She urged those partying over the holidays to plan ahead and identify a designated driver or ride sharing service.
Appointments cannot be scheduled in advance to use Tow to Go as it is designed as a safety net for those that did not plan ahead. Cooper said in some situations, AAA may need to make other arrangements to get an impaired individual a safe ride home.
Tow to Go may not be available in rural areas or during severe weather conditions, Cooper said.
— Compiled by Dave Flessner