Auto Club to Expand Free ‘Tipsy Tow’ Holiday Program

LOS ANGELES —  The Automobile Club of Southern California will offer its free “Tipsy Tow” service to drivers who may have partied too much any time during the entire Fourth of July weekend, club officials said.

Previously, the service was offered only on July 4, club spokeswoman Mona Ziada said. But the extended service will be offered from 6 p.m. Saturday through midnight Tuesday.

The service allows motorists or friends of drinking drivers to call (800) 400-4AAA for a free ride and tow of up to seven miles, Ziada said. For any distances beyond seven miles, drivers will be charged $5 to $10 a mile, depending on the contract rate charged by the tow truck operator, she said.

The Tipsy Tow service was first offered on New Year’s Eve 1996, but has also been offered during the past four Fourth of July holidays, she said. Tipsy Tow is available in 13 Southern California counties.