Avoid a New Year’s DUI with AAA’s Tipsy Tow Service

I don’t mean to sound like a broken record, but the holidays are not over and law enforcement will be out in full force this New Years to catch drunk drivers who are bringing in the New Year with a little too much to drink.

Throughout Southern California, law enforcement will increase saturation patrols and DUI checkpoints in high traffic areas.

Just as was the case with Christmas, my suggestions are the same:

- Find a designated driver.
- Use public transportation.
- Plan to stay the night.
- Don’t drink.

However, with New Years, the Automobile Club of Southern California is offering its free “Tipsy Tow” service.

From 6pm on Wednesday, December 31st to 6am on New Year’s Day, motorists, bartenders, party hosts, or passengers can call 1-800-400-4AAA for a free ride and tow home for up to seven miles. An Automobile Club contracted roadside tow service will be dispatched to take the would-be driver and their vehicle home.

“Drivers should be aware of the high crash risk from drinking and driving associated with holidays, and we encourage them not to get behind the wheel if they’ve been drinking,” said the Auto Club’s senior traffic safety researcher Steve Bloch.

People often opt to drive home after drinking rather than other transportation option because they don’t want to leave their vehicle behind. Tipsy Tow, however, is unique in that it transports both the driver and their vehicle.

The service does not include rides for passengers. And any person who receives a ride further than the seven miles can expect to pay the rate charged by the tow company.

Don’t bring in the New Year with a California DUI. Be safe and find an alternative ride home.

Happy New Years!

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I’rm Jush Tipsy! Speech Analysis Could Outsmart Drunk Drivers

Computer scientists at Queens College and Columbia University have developed software to identify if someone is drunk based on their speech. They believe someday the technology could be added to cars to keep people from driving while under the influence of alcohol.

The software is based on the work of researchers in Germany. Over a two-year period the researchers collected data from 162 participants in various states of drunkenness. They identified speech patterns often associated with intoxication, such as stammering, stuttering, and slurring.

The U.S. scientists believe their software could be used as a preventative measure to keep a car from starting if it determines a driver is impaired. However, they acknowledge the technology is several years away from practical use—in its current state the software correctly identifies a driver’s drunkenness or sobriety less than 75% of the time.

The drunken speech software is another component in the trend to use in-vehicle technology to outwit would-be drunk drivers. All 50 states have laws that require ignition interlock devices for some DUI offenders. And in 2015, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) starts the third phase of research on the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS) in hopes of developing passive, non-invasive alcohol detection sensors that could be added to all cars.

While NHTSA statistics for 2013 show that the numbers are once again decreasing, annual deaths from alcohol-related crashes still top 10,000. Is creating technologies that allow vehicles to stop people from driving while intoxicated a step in the right direction?

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