Having a few drinks during Thanksgiving holiday period? AAA will drive you home for free
MIAMI - Beginning Wednesday, Auto Club Group will launch its free Tow to Go service, which is aimed at preventing impaired driving on Thanksgiving and days before and after.
The AAA program, which ends at 6 a.m. Monday, Dec. 2, is available in Florida as well as Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, North Dakota, Nebraska, Tennessee, Colorado (Denver), North Carolina (Charlotte), Indiana (Fort Wayne/South Bend).
The service, which offers a ride for drivers and vehicle towing, is free but AAA urges it to be used as a last resort.
When someone calls Tow to Go at 855-2-TOW-2-GO, a tow truck is dispatched to transport the vehicle and its owner to a safe location within a 10-mile radius. The caller doesn't need to be a member of AAA.
Appointments cannot be scheduled in advance and service may not not be available in rural areas or during severe weather conditions.
"Tow to Go serves as that last line of defense in keeping impaired drivers off the road," said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. "If you plan to consume alcohol or drugs this weekend, make plans for a safe ride home first. If your plans fall through, you can call AAA, and we'll get you to a safe place."
The National Safety Council estimates 502 people will die on U.S. roads this Thanksgiving holiday period.
AAA is expecting to respond to more than 570,000 calls from drivers with car trouble.
Nationwide, AAA is projecting Thanksgiving travel to set records with an estimated 71.78 million Americans to take a road trip. And in Florida it is forecast to be 4.5 million.
The Auto Club Group has provided the program for more than 25 years, removing nearly 30,000 impaired drivers from U.S. roadways.
The Auto Club Group has more than 13 million members across 14 U.S. states and two U.S. territories.
