Paris Hilton Saves Friend from Drunk Driving Fiasco

Not all superheroes wear capes ... sometimes they wear diamonds, expensive perfume and lip gloss. Like Paris Hilton, who helped a buddy avoid serious criminal charges or even worse.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Paris recently had a party at her L.A. pad when a dude wanted to bolt but had trouble finding his keys. He called the cops and, perhaps drunkenly, told them the housekeeper had taken them away from him. Turns out Paris was behind the decision.

We're told cops drove up to Paris' house and she told them what was going down -- the guy's keys were taken away because he was way too boozy. In the end, cops believed Paris was being a gracious host and only looking out for the partygoer, who ended up getting home via Uber.

You'll recall when Paris was busted for DUI back in 2006, she had said she would not have been able to live with herself if anyone was injured or, worse, killed while she drove drunk. Seems she applied that same thought process here ... making sure no one drove home drunk.

Saving the world ... one day at a time.