EDMOND — Labor Day weekend is a time for rest, parades, picnics, parties and day trips — and alcohol.

Police urge motorists to drive safely, and if they drink too much alcohol and get a little tipsy, an auto travel club offers a ride home and a tow — at no charge.

AAA estimates 365,000 Oklahomans, a 9 percent increase in comparison to last year, will drive 50 miles or more from home during what for many will be a three-day weekend.

“Over holidays like Labor Day, up to 40 percent of all fatal crashes in Oklahoma involve alcohol,” said Edmond resident Chuck Mai, spokesman for AAA Oklahoma. “When you’re drinking, the first thing to be affected is your judgment and unfortunately, many holiday partiers climb behind the wheel when they shouldn’t.”

AAA Oklahoma’s “Tipsy Tow” program is a community service project, running over the long Labor Day weekend in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Ardmore, Lawton, Enid, Shawnee and Muskogee.

The service is free to AAA members and non-members alike. Tipsy Tow starts at 6 p.m. Friday and ends at midnight Monday.

To request Tipsy Tow, call 1-800-AAA-HELP (222-4357) and ask for Tipsy Tow. AAA will provide a free tow and free ride home, no questions asked, within a 15-mile radius from the point of pickup, for the vehicle and up to two people.

AAA Oklahoma offers Tipsy Tow during all major holidays in Oklahoma, Mai said. The club absorbs all the costs, but officials sincerely hope many will call and use the service, he said.

“Lives can be saved if people will just step back, think it over and call Tipsy Tow instead of making what could be a fatal mistake,” Mai said.

Glynda Chu, spokeswoman for the Edmond Police Department, also urged motorists to not drink and drive.

“The Labor Day holiday weekend is traditionally a time marking the end of summer with parties and family gatherings, and many times alcohol is part of those activities,” Chu said.

This weekend, the Edmond Police Department will have extra officers on duty patrolling city streets with an emphasis on alcohol-related reinforcement, Chu said.

With good weather in the forecast for the weekend, state troopers also anticipate increased travel during the weekend.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Chris West said troopers will be out in full force patrolling highways and waterways. They will be paying special attention to drunk drivers, speeders and those not wearing safety belts, as well as any reckless activity on lakes, West said.

The OHP is participating in the national anti-drunk driving “Over the Limit — Under Arrest” campaign, which focuses on getting impaired drivers off the road.

This year, troopers are urging motorists to report erratic activity by calling *55 on their cell phone, and to provide a description of the vehicle, its location and direction it is traveling, West said.

In Edmond, police also are urging the public’s help.

“We need everyone’s help by being extra vigilant in not drinking and driving, and not allowing a drinking friend or family member to get behind the wheel of a vehicle,” Chu said. “We read about it almost every day, someone dying or losing a loved one in a crash involving alcohol. Many of these deaths could have been prevented.”

So far this year, Edmond has had one fatality crash involving alcohol.

“That’s one too many,” Chu said.

At 6 p.m. Friday through midnight Monday the OHP will participate in operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort). Last year during the holiday period, nine people were killed and 301 were injured on state roads. Four of the seven fatality crashes were alcohol-related.

“We always stress the importance of seat belts, and not drinking and driving, but people still fail to listen,” West said.

Regarding boaters, troopers say they should have the required equipment such as life jackets, personal flotation devices, fire extinguishers and navigation lights after sunset. Every child under age 12 is required to wear a life jacket.

Capt. Mike Mize, troop commander of the OHP Lake Patrol Division, said the majority of boating crashes are related to inattention and alcohol. Stressors on the water such as the glare of the sun intensify the effects of alcohol, Mize said.

Penalties are the same, including jail time, loss of driving privileges, fines and court cost for drivers on water or on land, Mize said.



marks@edmondsun.com | 341-2121, ext. 367