Hillsborough woman whose sister was killed by drunk driver warns against driving impaired this Thanksgiving

TAMPA, Fla. - Travel experts are expecting another record-breaking travel weekend in Florida on Thanksgiving weekend.

AAA says more than 4.5 million Floridians are expected to travel 50 miles or more for the holiday.

Law enforcement agencies around the state will have officers out in full force looking for impaired and distracted drivers.

"We will have extra enforcements out this entire weekend," said Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw,"If you’re going to get behind the wheel impaired, you’re going to get pulled over, and you’re going to be held accountable."

One woman has made it her mission to make the roads a safer place, after her sister was hit and killed by an impaired driver 41 years ago.

"Josie DiStefano Palomino," Linda Unfried said. "And, she actually had turned 41 on October 27. And on October 29, we were celebrating my parents' 55th wedding anniversary."

Unfried says her sister, Josie, was hit and killed in a crash in Hillsborough County.

Josie DiStefano Palomino was killed by a drunk driver 40 years ago. 

"He proceeded to go down Waters at 80 miles an hour, going east," Unfried said. "She was coming west, and witnesses said that she tried to avoid it, and he crossed the line and hit her head on, and flipped her car three times."

Since her sister’s death, Unfried has dedicated her life to educating the community and advocating for safety on the roads with Hillsborough County’s chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

"When that happens, it's like throwing a picture down and shattering that glass," Unfried said.

Since her sister's death, Unfried has dedicated her life to educating the community and advocating for safer roads through MADD. 

She says holiday weekends like Thanksgiving weekend can make for even more danger out on the roads.

"It's not about being drunk," she said. It's about being impaired. Impairment kills."

As another year passes, Unfried hopes that her work can help keep other families from experiencing what her family experienced.

"I'm still going to keep going until we have no more victims," she said. "I pray that someday that will be the reality."

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AAA encourages people to use designated drivers or ride-share services when out celebrating the holiday.

Record Thanksgiving travel numbers are expected again this year throughout Florida.

If you’re in an emergency, officials with AAA say you can call the Tow to Go program.

The program is available to anyone, regardless of whether you’re a AAA member.

"When people call Tow To Go, we'll dispatch a tow truck out to take the driver and their vehicle to a safe location within a 10-mile radius," AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins said. "Now, we strongly encourage people to use this program as a last resort. We expect to be very busy this week rescuing about 570,000 stranded motorists nationwide with all kinds of vehicular breakdown issues."

READ: Tampa shoppers to see increased police presence ahead of holidays

Over the last 25 years that the program has been in place, Jenkins says the Tow to Go program has responded to about 30,000 calls.

Tow to Go is active from 6 p.m. on Wednesday until 6 a.m. on Monday.

The number for Tow to Go is (855) 2-TOW-2-GO or (855) 286-9246.

AAA is also expecting record-breaking travel numbers nationwide, with an estimated 79.9 travelers this weekend.

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