In recent years, many companies have increasingly been focused on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. However, one company’s CSR program stands out as far ahead of its time.
For 34 years, on New Year’s Eve, AAA has offered the Tipsy Tow service in select areas across the country. The free service tows impaired drivers’ cars home and gives them a ride. Tipsy Tow is available to anyone — whether they are an AAA member or not — as long as the drive home does not exceed ten miles.
In some areas the Tipsy Tow service runs the entire holiday season – from 6 pm December 21st until 6 am January 1st — while in other areas, it is limited to New Year’s Eve. The December holiday season is not the only time of year that AAA offers this service; it also offers Tipsy Tows on St. Patrick’s Day, Fourth of July, and other celebratory holidays throughout the year. Tipsy Tow is a great way for non-members to learn about the benefits of being an AAA member, and it helps communities in the process.
If someone is not an AAA member, Tipsy Tow does a great job of encouraging them to become one. This is a great PR move on AAA’s part for three reasons:
It shows that they care. Tipsy Tow addresses the very serious dangers associated with drunk driving.
It gets the community involved. AAA encourages local towing companies to team up with them to participate in the Tipsy Tow service. This gives local businesses the opportunity to help people in their area and grow their range of customers.
It gets people interested in AAA. If a non-member of AAA hears about or uses the Tipsy Tow service it could spark an interest in becoming a member of AAA.
While th
e Tipsy Tow service has been available in some communities for more than 34 years, several locations have stopped offering it. AAA says that the emergence of services such as Uber and Lyft has eliminated the need for Tipsy Tow since party-goers can now get to and from locations safely and at a reasonable price. As these services continue to grow, AAA may have to explore other ways to use their services to help communities, but for right now Tipsy Tow is a great way to get home safely on major holidays. To learn more about Tipsy Tow and if it is in your area you can visit the AAA website: https://newsroom.aaa.com/safety/holiday-safe-ride-program/.
Tipsy Tow is a brilliant PR move on AAA’s part. While it was not our doing, we do specialize in pharmaceutical PR. For more information on what we do and can do for your organization please call (203) 762-8833.
