Safety first on New Year’s Eve

Published 9:48 pm Thursday, December 30, 2010

New Year’s revelers, beware: Suffolk Police are stepping up patrols in the city on Friday night and will be prepared to arrest intoxicated drivers and those shooting off fireworks.

People who find themselves without a safe ride home, though, can get a free lift from AAA Tidewater.

A Suffolk police officer checks a driver’s license at a checkpoint in August. Police will have extra patrols on the road tonight, watching out for drunk drivers.

“On New Year’s, we always are very conscious of drunk drivers, and we urge everybody not to drink and drive,” Suffolk Police Chief Thomas Bennett said. “If you do choose to drink, please make some other arrangements to get a ride home.”

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Bennett would not disclose if or where police will be conducting checkpoints. However, he stressed that police will have extra eyes on the city’s roadways.

“We’ve had two fatalities this holiday season,” he said. “Neither one of them were alcohol-related that we’re aware of at this point, but we don’t want to have any more.”

Bennett encouraged citizens who spot a driver they believe to be impaired to dial 911 — not just on New Year’s Eve, but at any time of year.

The dispatcher who takes the call will need to know the license plate number of the vehicle, what road they are on and in what direction they’re traveling, Bennett said.

“We can dispatch an officer to the area,” Bennett said. If an officer also suspects the driver is intoxicated, he will pull the driver over and conduct sobriety tests.

Those who have too much to drink do have a free option to get home, though. AAA Tidewater’s Tow to Go service provides a safe way home for intoxicated adults and their vehicles. The service is available through 6 a.m. Jan. 2 and is available to AAA members and non-members at no charge. There are a few stipulations:

The program is not a substitute for using designated drivers.

The program provides towing only within the greater Hampton Roads area, defined as the localities of Suffolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Newport News, Hampton, Poquoson, Yorktown and Williamsburg.

Service will be provided to the requesting individual only.

No reservations will be taken for the service.

The requesting individual must be with his vehicle and have the keys to the vehicle.

Individuals will be towed to their residence only.

To get AAA’s Tow to Go service, call 757-631-1700 or 1-800-AAA-HELP (if you’re a local AAA member, these are the same numbers on the front of your card).

In addition to warning against drunk drivers, Bennett reminded residents that it is a crime in the city of Suffolk to manufacture, store, display, sell or discharge fireworks.

“They’re dangerous,” Bennett said. “We don’t want to see anybody get hurt.”