AAA Offering Tow to Go Program for Floridians This Thanksgiving | Florida DUI Lawyers Whittel & Melton

November 24, 2021

The Thanksgiving holiday is right around the corner, and AAA Tow to Go is back just in time. This is a sort of last-ditch effort to keep impaired drivers off the roads.

AAA Tow to Go has removed more than 25,000 impaired drivers from the road since 1998. In Florida, Tow to Go is available Wednesday through Monday in certain locations. Once AAA is called, a tow truck will come and transport the impaired driver and their vehicle to a safe spot withing a 10-mile radius. The service is completely free, but AAA warns that this should only be used as a backup plan.

AAA is offering this service so that no impaired drivers have an excuse to get behind the wheel this Thanksgiving holiday weekend. They encourage drivers to have a safe ride home planned in advance and only use Tow to Go as a last resort.

The NHTSA reports that DUI car crashes in 2019 resulted in 10,142 deaths. Of those fatalities, 417 happened over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Drivers operating under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol in the state of Florida from November – December 2020, caused 1,052 motor vehicle crashes, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Moreover, 5,442 DUI citations were issued across the state. AAA Tow to Go program hopes to eliminate the number of these DUI cases and offer impaired motorists a safe ride home.

AAA Tow to Go Overview

Dates of Service:

6:00PM Wednesday, November 24 – 6:00AM Monday, November 29

Service Areas:

FL, GA, IA, MI, ND, NE, TN, WI, CO (Denver), NC (Charlotte) and IN (Fort Wayne/South Bend)

Phone Number: (855) 2-TOW-2-GO or (855) 286-9246

Free and available to AAA members and non-members.

Confidential local ride for one person and their vehicle to a safe location within a 10 miles radius.

AAA service vehicles are limiting passengers to one (1) per vehicle, with face mask/covering, in accordance with established COVID-19 safety protocols. Additional passengers need to make other arrangements.

Appointments cannot be scheduled in advance to use Tow to Go. As mentioned previously this is a service to be used as a backup plan for drivers who failed to plan ahead or had their plans fall through. You should always have a safety plan in place for how you will get home safe before celebrating with alcohol and or drugs.

In some situations, AAA may need to make other arrangements to get an impaired individual a safe ride home.

Tow to Go may not be available in rural areas or during severe weather conditions.

Our Florida DUI Lawyers at Whittel & Melton strongly urge everyone to make a plan for a safe ride home if you plan to drink this Thanksgiving weekend. We know that “Blackout Wednesday” often brings out many people looking to party and have a good time. If you plan to partake in any festivities involving alcohol, please be safe and DO NOT get behind the wheel intoxicated. There are many options out there, including Uber and Lyft, taxis, buses, staying at a friend or family member’s house to sleep it off, or even using AAA’s Tow to Go program.

If you are arrested for a DUI this Thanksgiving weekend, our Florida DUI Lawyers at Whittel & Melton are here for you. We will be available 24/7 to assist you, so call us first at 866-608-5529 before you make any statements to police. We understand that good people make mistakes, and we will never judge you. We just want to help you through this stressful situation. You can always contact us online if you need assistance.

From our family at Whittel & Melton to yours, we wish you a very happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday!