Press releases in the days and week leading up to yesterday’s Super Bowl notified me of DUI checkpoints, Zero Tolerance policies, and increased patrols. Police across the state were ready to find and arrest DUI offenders over this past weekend.
However, what I saw few notifications of the steps governments were taking to prevent drivers from getting behind the wheel drunk.
As effective as crackdowns can be, I wonder how many offenders slip through the cracks. If 100 people are caught, then how many people drove risked their lives and others and drove intoxicated?
What if more steps could be taken to stop the drunks before they got behind the wheel of the car? What if cities and counties could afford to offer a ride home to everyone who irresponsibly drank too much without planning ahead?
I ask these questions because there’s a program that police across the state could use to accomplish just that. And it would come at very little cost (other than the cost of printing some flyers) to the city, county, or state.
This program is the product of the American Auto Association, and is a result of their commitment to community service. Â
The program, called Tipsy Tow, offered free towing services to any motorist who was too impaired to drive for the 12 hours after the Super Bowl.
The service isn’t new, but ten times per year, AAA offers motorists a way out of a DUI. AAA press releases dating back at least as far back as 2005 mention the program.
So my last rhetorical question is this: How much would it cost to have an officer, or government staffer, drop off a couple of flyers at local bars publicizing this program?
I think this is another company operating as exemplary corporate citizens. I hope municipalities across the state find ways to help implement their program, keeping the impaired off the road, and all of the property owners, drivers, and pedestirans safe.
You can see more information on the AAA’s program at your local AAA Website, filed under press releases. Southern California or Northern California
