Don’t Be Hazy on the Road this 4/20; AAA extends ‘Tipsy Tow’ for Cannabis Holiday
April 18, 2018 - WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - For those celebrating California’s first official 4/20 with legal marijuana, AAA has one reminder: If you drive while intoxicated, your life could go up in smoke.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re drinking alcohol or using recreational marijuana, there’s never an excuse to drive impaired,” said John Moreno, public policy manager for AAA Northern California. “You should always plan for a safe ride home, but if those plans fall through, AAA will get you and your vehicle home safely on 4/20. We want to keep intoxicated drivers off our roadways, which keeps all of us safer.”
According to the National Safety Council, the U.S. recently faced the worst two-year increase in motor vehicle deaths in more than 50 years, with marijuana-impaired driving being one of the many factors believed to be contributing to the recent increase in auto crash frequency. Another study in JAMA Internal Medicine found that traffic fatalities spike 12 percent on 4/20, showing an increased traffic safety risk more comparable to the fatal crash rates that happen on Super Bowl Sunday.
AAA Tipsy Tow service will start 4:20 p.m. on Friday, April 20, and continue until 4:20 a.m. April 21.
To take advantage of the service, drivers, passengers, party hosts, bartenders and/or restaurant managers should call 1-800-AAA-HELP (1-800-222-4357) and state that they need a Tipsy Tow. Drivers should be prepared to provide their name, home address, phone number, location and vehicle description.
AAA has provided free Tipsy Tow service for events and holidays such as St. Patrick’s Day, the Super Bowl and New Year’s Eve since the 1990s, but this is the first campaign involving marijuana. Dispensaries in California began selling legal recreational marijuana on Jan. 1.
Tipsy Tow provides a free ride home and vehicle tow of up to 10 miles. For mileage beyond this, motorists are charged a standard towing rate. The service does not include roadside assistance. You do not have to be a AAA member to use the service.
AAA estimates that a first-time DUI conviction can cost a motorist more than $10,000 in fines, penalties, legal fees and increased insurance costs.
“Although a DUI can raise your annual auto insurance premiums by hundreds of dollars for as long as 10 years, the financial cost is nothing compared to the risk of injuring yourself and others,” said CSAA Insurance Group spokesperson Susan Saito. “Impaired driving includes marijuana use, so it’s important to find a safe alternative to getting behind the wheel.”
AAA Northern California offers a wide array of automotive, travel, insurance, DMV, financial services and consumer discounts to its 4 million members. AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers since it was founded more than 117 years ago. Visit AAA.com for more information.
Source: AAA
