AAA offering ‘Tipsy Tow’ service for St. Patrick’s Day

The American Automobile Association’s Northern California branch is offering to take drivers who’ve been drinking home for free along with their vehicles on St. Patrick’s Day.

From 6 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday, AAA’s Tipsy Tow service will be available to members of the public, regardless of whether or not they have current AAA memberships.

Drivers who’ve been drinking Tuesday night are urged to call (800) 222-4357 and ask the operator for a “tipsy tow.”

The service provides a one-way tow to the driver’s home if it is within 10 miles.

Passengers can be accommodated if there is room in the tow truck to transport them safely.

AAA spokeswoman Cytnhia Harris said in a statement:

“If you’ve been drinking alcohol, don’t get behind the wheel. Give AAA a call and we’ll make sure you get home safely.”

According to AAA, there were 160,000 drivers arrested for drunk driving in California in 2013 and 24,000 people were killed or injured in alcohol-related car crashes.

First-time DUI convictions can cost roughly $15,650 in fines, penalties, restitution, legal fees and increased insurance costs.

Those costs have increased sharply in recent years due to increasing fines and insurance costs for DUI drivers, according to AAA.