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NEWS RELEASE
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AAA AND BUDWEISER PROTECT ROADWAYS FOR NEW YEAR'S WEEKEND
Free Ride Home for Drunk Drivers and their Vehicles Now through January 2
TAMPA, Fla. (Dec. 29, 2011) -- AAA and Budweiser will help protect roadways during the New Year’s weekend with the Tow to Go program. Tow to Go has safely removed more than 16,000 drunk drivers off roadways since the program began in 1998. Anyone, AAA member or not, can call for a Tow to Go ride, now through Monday, Jan 2.
Tow to Go provides a confidential ride and tow home from any bar or restaurant – FREE of charge – to anyone who may have had too much to drink by calling 1-800-AAA-HELP (4357). Services are offered throughout Florida, Georgia, and West and Middle Tennessee. Tow to Go is a FREE public service offered by AAA and Budweiser that is funded through donations to the Auto Club South Traffic Safety Foundation. The program is designed to be used as a last resort and is offered based on availability of AAA Service Technicians and tow trucks during times of high call volume.
“The busiest weekend of the year for the Tow to Go program is New Year’s as you can imagine, since so many folks are out celebrating the holiday,” said Joanna Newton, AAA Tow to Go spokesperson, The Auto Club Group. “We are pleased we can offer this program again this time of year thanks to the generous support of our partner Budweiser and the hard work of our AAA Service Technicians who are going to spend New Year’s Eve away from their own families so they can help get as many intoxicated drivers off our roadways as possible.”
“The Tow to Go program is a simple and effective way to promote the use of designated drivers and help prevent drunk driving,” said Kathy Casso, vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility for Anheuser-Busch. “We are proud to join forces with AAA and their team of emergency roadside service drivers. These are our roadways and we all have a responsibility to keep them safe so please plan for a safe celebration, before you go out, by being or choosing a designated driver.”
If you are hosting a holiday party, the following tips will help you and your guests enjoy the festivities responsibly:
- Plan ahead to accommodate guests: Encourage your guests to designate a driver before the party, whether it’s a taxi or a ride from a friend. If they don’t have a ride and had too much to drink, call them a taxi or ask them to spend the night.
- Offer something for everyone: Whether it’s soda, tea or water, offer your guests non-alcohol options. Provide food throughout the night, so no one is drinking on an empty stomach.
- Serve one drink at a time: Refreshing unfinished glasses may feel like you’re being an attentive host, but people can easily lose track of how much alcohol they’ve consumed.
The Auto Club Group (ACG) is the second largest AAA club in North America. ACG and its affiliates provide membership, travel, insurance and financial services offerings to approximately 8.5 million members across 11 states and two U.S. territories including Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; most of Illinois, Minnesota and Tennessee; and a portion of Indiana. ACG belongs to the national AAA federation with nearly 53 million members in the United States and Canada and whose mission includes protecting and advancing freedom of mobility and improving traffic safety.
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