Free tows offered for impaired drivers

They’ll give impaired drivers a free tow home from the tavern, or from that Christmas gathering where the holiday cheer flowed a little too readily.

Just don’t ask the tow truck operators participating in Spokane’s “Towing for the Holidays” program to drive to another party.

Don’t laugh. It’s happened before, and more than once, according to Bettie Simmons of AA Auto Salvage, one of the towing companies participating in the service.

The free towing program is being sponsored by the Greater Spokane Substance Abuse Council’s Prevention Center and KXLY Wired 96.9.

In addition to AA Auto Salvage, companies Rouse’s Towing, Bulldog Towing and Divine’s will be offering the free rides and tows.

Despite years of DUI prevention campaigns, drinking and driving is still a serious holiday problem locally, said Julie Alonso, the substance abuse council’s community awareness coordinator.

“Just in the 40 days between Thanksgiving and New Year’s last year, there were 300 DUI arrests” by the Washington State Patrol, Alonso said.

Alonso recommends that people select a sober, designated driver, and that party hosts offer plenty of food and nonalcoholic beverages, and make sure guests have safe rides home.

Since that doesn’t always happen, the towing program is designed to help people who find themselves impaired and with no other way to get home.

“We’d rather pick them up and take them home safely than pick them up when they’ve been in a wreck and hurt themselves or someone else because they’ve been drunk driving,” said Simmons.

Free holiday tows have been offered in Spokane for about 25 years, she added, although companies didn’t offer the service last year.

The rules are simple.

Drivers will only be towed home, and no farther than five miles for free.

After five miles, a $3 per mile charge is instituted. This program isn’t available outside Spokane County. Only two people per vehicle will be given a ride in the tow truck.

And most importantly, drivers need to call for the tow before they get themselves in trouble, either with a DUI arrest or crash.

Disabled vehicles will not be towed for free.

And one last thing: DUI prevention tows cannot be scheduled in advance.

“We did have people calling up in the afternoon saying, ‘I’m going to be drunk by 2 o’clock. Come and get me,’ ” Simmons said. “We don’t do that.”