In order to help keep the roadways safe during the holidays, AAA of Northern California is giving drivers an alternative to getting behind the wheel when they’ve had something to drink.

Tipsy Tow, a complementary towing service that the organization provides during strategic holiday periods where alcohol consumption is at its peak, will be available to all motorists starting tonight at 6 p.m. and continuing through 6 a.m. on Christmas morning.

“We urge Californians to celebrate responsibly this holiday season and encourage them to take advantage of this free AAA resource, if necessary,” said AAA Northern California spokesman Michael Blasky in a statement.

While AAA is a membership-based service, the “Tipsy Tow” program is available to anybody residing in Northern California that needs to get themselves and their vehicle to their nearby home or hotel and aren’t able to do so safely because they have been drinking.

While AAA members can call to utilize the service, anybody who calls from 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve through 6 a.m. on Christmas Day is eligible to utilize the service under certain conditions – the vehicle can only be towed for up to 10 miles to a home or a hotel where the person is, or plans to become, a guest. Services like flat repair, complementary gas, and other AAA services intended to help keep vehicles on the road will not be provided with the Tipsy Tow service.

The phone number to call to utilize the free service is 1.800.222.4357.

Police officers in Manteca, Ripon, and Lathrop will be out in force over the coming days looking for impaired motorists that jeopardize the safety of motorists. Through standard patrols and saturation patrols funded by state and federal grants, police officers will be searching for signs of people driving while impaired and may even he conducting sobriety checkpoints throughout San Joaquin County to educate drivers about the dangers of climbing behind the wheel after having a few drinks.

Over the weekend Lathrop Police Services conducted a sobriety checkpoint on Lathrop Road near the intersection of McKinley Avenue where almost 500 vehicles were stopped and police issued seven citations and took two people into custody for driving under the influence and one for driving with a no bail warrant.

The “Tipsy Tow” service was last made available to Northern California residents on Thanksgiving and is occasionally provided for the New Year’s Eve holiday when alcohol consumption is typically at an all-time high. Any person who calls that is within 10 miles of their destination – either their home or their hotel – and is traveling alone and not with a group is eligible to call and use the service.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.