PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

AAA, Budweiser Will Tow You Home For Free This Fourth Of July

AAA

The Fourth of July is a holiday notorious for increased drunk driving accidents, so AAA and Budweiser are teaming up to get people home for free if they've had too much to drink.

The " Tow to Go" program runs from Tuesday, July 3 through Thursday, July 5 at 6 a.m. Membership with AAA is not necessary to receive a free ride.

Michele Harris, a spokesperson for AAA, said the auto club wants people to arrange a designated driver before their first sip of alcohol, but a tow to go will be available just in case.

"We encourage everyone who is celebrating to go ahead and program the number in their phone in advance, so that you don't have to search for it later," she said. "Then on the off chance you do need a safe ride home, it's there and waiting for you."

That number is 855-2-TOW-2-GO or 855-286-9246.

More than 180 people died in drunk driving crashes during the Independence Day holiday in 2016, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That was a 28 percent increase over the previous year.

Harris said people shouldn't assume there will be fewer drunk drivers on the road this year just because the holiday falls on a Wednesday.

"Regardless of if it's on the weekend, or in the middle of the week, it may curtail some people from going out, but generally because it's a holiday, we will still see an increased traffic flow," she said.

Since it began in 1998, the program has removed more than 25,000 impaired drivers from the road.

Copyright 2020 WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7. To see more, visit .

Roberto Roldan is a senior at the University of South Florida pursuing a degree in mass communications and a minor in international studies.