If you look at all fifty states in the USA and try to figure out who has had the greatest success in the fight again drunk driving, there’s no better example than Arizona. Not only does the state has an all offender ignition interlock law, they focus on ignition interlock compliance, sobriety checkpoints, and try new initiatives to crack down on drunk drivers during peak drunk driving periods.
One of those new initiatives is Tipsy Tow. Sponsored by AAA Arizona, it’s a service where a tow truck is on standby to help people say no to drunk driving during the busiest drunk driving periods of the year. Kicked off on the night before Thanksgiving, also known as “Drinksgiving,” Tipsy Tow is available on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve too.
Why would you want to tow your car if you haven’t broken down on the side of the road? Imagine that it’s the holidays and you’ve stopped somewhere for a holiday drink. One drink leads to two, and you’re really not sure if you should get behind the wheel but you don’t want to leave your car behind. Because even one glass of alcohol has the power to affect your driving skills, your best option is finding a designated driver or, if you’re in Arizona, calling Tipsy Tow.
Tipsy Tow will tow your car for free up to ten miles away, and if you go over ten miles they’ll charge you the tow truck driver’s standard rates. Anyone can use the service too; you don’t even have to be a AAA member to call, so there’s no reason not to take advantage of the Tipsy Tow service.
With almost five thousand alcohol-related crashes in 2015 alone, Arizona has to try creative solutions to stop drunk drivers. The Tipsy Tow service just goes to show that sometimes you have to think outside of the box when you’re trying to reduce drunk driving rates, and along with ignition interlocks, holiday checkpoints, and Uber, Arizona is becoming a safer place for drivers.