AAA South: 1,100 holiday revelers used free tow, ride home

TAMPA, FLORIDA - The AAA Auto Club South says more than 1,100 alcohol-impaired drivers in Georgia and Florida took advantage of free rides home and a free tow of their vehicle during the holidays. <br> <br> The program is sponsored by the auto club and underwritten by Budweiser. Officials with the service say it kept 1,162 people in a potential drunken driving situation from getting behind the wheel between November 1 to New Year&#39;s Day. <br> <br> The service responded to only 118 calls to their toll-free number in the Tampa Bay area in 2000. Ed Schatzman, an AAA Auto Club South vice president, says it was expanded in 2001 to cover the entire state of Florida and the metro Atlanta area. <br> <br> Drivers who thought they drank too much, or a concerned friend, server or bartender, called 1-800-AAA-HELP. That triggered a dispatch to take both the driver and the vehicle home, free of charge.

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