It is the holiday on which America celebrates its birthday. Across Chattanooga, July 4th is filled every year with fireworks, family, friends, picnics and patriotic symbols. Unfortunately, it is also a holiday filled with drunk driving arrests across Tennessee.
If you are planning a July 4th celebration that will include alcohol, perhaps the best way to avoid a DUI is to have a designated driver. In that way, you stay safe and out of trouble on a day meant for fun, not a ride in a Chattanooga or Hamilton County squad car.
Of course, some people prefer to take a taxi or to hail a ride-share. Still others will make use of AAA’s Tow to Go program. The motor club has been offering rides to impaired drivers here in Tennessee and elsewhere for more than 20 years.
AAA’s Auto Club Group Traffic Safety Foundation provides free rides to both members and non-members alike anywhere in the state. If you call for a ride, a AAA tow truck will pick you and your vehicle up and take you home, or somewhere else that’s safe, within 10 miles.
In that way, you can avoid a DUI charge and penalties for a first offense that include:
- Jail time that ranges from 48 hours to 11 months and 29 days
- Driver’s license revocation for up to a year (restricted licenses are available)
- Mandatory participation in an alcohol and drug treatment program
- A fine ranging from $350 to $1,500
- Mandatory installation of an ignition interlock device – at your expense
If you have been charged with drunk driving, you can protect your freedom and license with the help of a lawyer experienced in effective DUI defense.
