Free rides to be offered in BG for New Year’s revelers

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Lt.
Jerrod Savidge of Bowling Green’s Ohio Highway Patrol post (right) speaks to the media while Maj. Tony
Hetrick of the Bowling Green Police Department looks on during a press conference. (Photo: J.D.
Pooley/Sentinel-Tribune)

New Year’s revelers who may
have taken in too much holiday cheer can geta free ride home thanks to a new program in Bowling Green.The
program, “Swallow Your Pride, Call for a Ride,” sponsored by SafeCommunities of Wood County, is the result
of partnerships among morethan 20 local law enforcement agencies, wrecker companies, bars, andother
organizations, including Bowling Green’s Downtown BusinessAssociation and the AAA.Free transportation will
be available from 6 p.m. Tuesday through 6 a.m. Wednesday to persons who reside within 10 miles of Bowling
Green. Tipsy Tow, sponsored by AAA Northwest Ohio, will also be available.Those wishing to get a ride can
call 419-819-5315. Tipsy Tow may be contacted at
1-800-AAA-HELP.Lt. Jerrod Savidge of Bowling Green’s Ohio Highway Patrol post, saidthat a similar program
was started in previous years in Findlay, but thedifference between that program and this new one is the
large amount ofparticipation from wrecker drivers – who, Savidge noted, would belosing some business due to
the effort – and bar owners.Eleven bars and four city wrecker businesses are taking part. Alsopartnering are
the Bowling Green Police Division, the OHSP, BowlingGreen State University Police, Super Cab, and the BGSU
Shuttle service.“Not all communities can work together as we have in this instance,” said Maj. Tony Hetrick
of the BGPD.“We just want to make sure we protect the people who aren’t drunk driving,” said
Savidge.“Really, there is absolutely no excuse for anybody” to drink and drive over the holiday with this
program, said Hetrick.Law enforcement agencies throughout Wood County will be on alert overthe New Year’s
holiday for drunk drivers and other offenses.Figures provided by Sandy Weichman of Safe Communities of Wood
Countynote that drunk driving crashes and deaths are on the decline in thearea.To date, three people were
killed in alcohol-related crashes in Wood County this year, compared to six last year.There have been 37
alcohol-related injury crashes in 2013, compared to48 in 2012. Further, the total number of alcohol-related
crashes in 2013stands at 81. There were 125 such crashes in 2012.

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