St. Patrick's Day (Photo : REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton )
St. Patrick's Day is famous for a dramatic rise in driving under the influence of alcohol that results in car crashes and fatal injuries. Georgia, Tennesee and Florida drivers can now avail the "Tow to Go" service to avoid drunken driving while celebrating the occasion thanks to AAA.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stats, more than 270 people have died on St. Patrick's Day due to drunk-driving crashes from 2009 to 2013. AAA considers that as a significant number and it is determined to lower the death counts as much as possible this year.
The "Tow to Go" program offers you a helpline number, by calling which Florida, Georgia and Tennessee drivers can avail safe transportation of the person and the vehicle home or somewhere safe within 10 miles' radius. The service is available from Tuesday, 6 AM to Wednesday.
"We are asking all motorists to plan ahead this St. Patrick's Day if they are going to be away from home and drinking. That means having a Designated Driver, staying where you are celebrating, or arranging for another form of sober transportation" said Gerry Gutowski, senior vice president for Automotive Services of The Auto Club Group.
According to The Augusta Chronicle, in order to crack down on drunken driving during the holiday, law enforcement agencies in Georgia and South Carolina have planned to ramp up patrolling and road-checks by commissioning additional officers. The "Tow to Go" program is an effort to curb the necessity of drunken driving and thereby reduce the risks of accidents.
The Bradenton Times reports that Kathy Casso, vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility for Anheuser-Busch said, "The "Tow to Go" program is a simple and effective way to help prevent drunk driving. We are proud to join forces with AAA and their team of emergency roadside service drivers to help keep our roads safe across the southeast this St. Patrick's Day," Casso added.
AAA started the "Tow to Go" program in 1998 and it has offered safe transportation to more than 23,000 impaired drivers till now. The service is offered depending on availability of drivers and tow trucks during the times of high call volume.
The service is available for all and can be accessed by dialing (855) 2-TOW-2GO or (855) 286-9246.
