What do you do when you see a drunk driver?

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What do you do when you see a drunk driver?

Last year, we saw one and called 911 who instructed us to follow the car from a safe distance until the cops would catch him. The guy at some point realized that and created a dangerous situation. But that was OK with us as we thought we were doing something useful for the system.

They caught the guy and he was facing charges. We were witnesses and the trial got postponed a few times. Each time, we had to take a day off work. Needless to say, it was a major hassle and quite an issue at work.

Yesterday I saw another drunk driver on the highway.
 
A DUI needed witnesses?? Never heard of that one before, guess no good deed goes unpunished. Here in OH we have an 800 number that connects to the state highway patrol (1-800-GRAB-DUI), but I have never heard of anyone being instructed to follow a drunk driver before.
 
If it is clear to see that they are drunk I've called it in before. Never told to follow them though, I just give them the mile marker I'm at and they say they'll send a vehicle shortly. I normally stay behind them at a good distance until I get a good opening to pass then I stay a good ways in front of them.
 
I ALWAYS call the police and try to keep information on location as long as I'm driving safe and legal.

Seems like I'm finding at least a couple a year. Impaired drivers are typically very easy to spot.

A witness account is usually sufficient to meet probable cause, but Minnesota is an implied consent state, so it's easier for cops to get test results. I've never had to be involved after that.

Well, except for the one time when the drunk kid left a 200' set of skid marks, crashed through a gate, and submerged his Cadillac in a pile of woodchips and then passed out in the driver's seat. (That was entertaining!) I was called as a witness for finding the guy, but he plead out.

I think it's important to get these a-holes off the road.
 
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I pass them if on the highway. I take a detour if on city streets. Cop response around here is really slow. Unless you're on the phone with them stating you're about to be murdered, I don't expect them within the hour.
 
The way people drive around here its hard to tell the sober from the drunks!
Seriously though I would call 911 with as much info as possible and go on my way. About 9 months a year I drive to work at 4AM so I see a lot, I have called a few times.
Once when I was much younger I stopped behind a guy who was weaving across 3 lanes and driving super slow then super fast.He stopped at a light,I got out and he was so drunk he could barely talk, I took his keys and called the cops, they thanked me but also warned against doing it again, I left and never heard anything else.
 
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Originally Posted By: meangreen01
I pass them if on the highway. I take a detour if on city streets. Cop response around here is really slow. Unless you're on the phone with them stating you're about to be murdered, I don't expect them within the hour.


I second that.

When we lived in WI the police seemed to get [censored] off if you called them for anything. They would get honestly surly!

Once we almost got in a head-on with a 90-something driver who drove down the on-coming lane. We were on the phone following from a ways back FOR A HALF AN HOUR!! This was in LaCrosse, where there are more than a few units. Oh, but drive 2 mph over on the freeway with MN plates and you'll get a $400 ticket...

WI is something else and I don't miss it.
 
I call the OPP, and they tend to pick them up quickly. They are a danger to everyone around them and should be taken off the road as quickly as possible. What is a good reason for NOT calling it in?
 
I would still call 911 but I wouldn't do witness. If he is caught on the spot there's enough evidence to press charges, and whether he or she goes to jail or not isn't the biggest concern to me, and should be enough to teach the driver a lesson.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
I all the OPP, and they tend to pick them up quickly. They are a danger to everyone around them and should be taken off the road as quickly as possible. What is a good reason for NOT calling it in?


Slow/no response time(around here at least). As was stated, there are many poor drivers out there, intoxicated or not. I'm not a cop trained in knowing the difference. I also am not a fan of turning people in when I have no hard evidence of drunkenness or any other criminal behaviour.

Now on the other hand, where's the hotline to turn in all the idiots with 2 or 3 burned out taillights that keep braking abruptly in frot of me?
 
Originally Posted By: meangreen01
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
I all the OPP, and they tend to pick them up quickly. They are a danger to everyone around them and should be taken off the road as quickly as possible. What is a good reason for NOT calling it in?


Slow/no response time(around here at least). As was stated, there are many poor drivers out there, intoxicated or not. I'm not a cop trained in knowing the difference. I also am not a fan of turning people in when I have no hard evidence of drunkenness or any other criminal behaviour.

Now on the other hand, where's the hotline to turn in all the idiots with 2 or 3 burned out taillights that keep braking abruptly in frot of me?


When the guy is driving 40Km/h down the middle of a two-lane bridge with a limit of 60Km/h on it...... I'd say there is reason to call it in. That is the type of scenario I'm talking about.

I was driven off the road by a drunk driver in my Explorer back in 2004. it wasn't a fun experience.
 
People drive so horribly these days I'm hesitant to assume drunk driving.

I guess you call it in. I'm not sure following them and serving as a witness is really necessary. Guess it depends how bad they are.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: meangreen01
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
I all the OPP, and they tend to pick them up quickly. They are a danger to everyone around them and should be taken off the road as quickly as possible. What is a good reason for NOT calling it in?


Slow/no response time(around here at least). As was stated, there are many poor drivers out there, intoxicated or not. I'm not a cop trained in knowing the difference. I also am not a fan of turning people in when I have no hard evidence of drunkenness or any other criminal behaviour.

Now on the other hand, where's the hotline to turn in all the idiots with 2 or 3 burned out taillights that keep braking abruptly in frot of me?


When the guy is driving 40Km/h down the middle of a two-lane bridge with a limit of 60Km/h on it...... I'd say there is reason to call it in. That is the type of scenario I'm talking about.

I was driven off the road by a drunk driver in my Explorer back in 2004. it wasn't a fun experience.


I haven't run into a situation so severe I've felt tempted to grab the phone in many years. It begs the question- at what criteria level does one call? In a situation like that, a guy driving for a couple miles on a dangerous road, drastically under speed limit, constant lane deviation- I may pick up the phone at that point. But what about the person with the MADD bumper sticker, on a mission, and a government endorsement to tattle.

Everyone's criteria is different and I'm not a fan of having non-trained citizens being encouraged to evaluate drivers. The police aren't able to visually verify these occurrences and need to interview the driver inconveniencing the driver.
 
You call it in. Period.

Clearly, it is a judgement call for how poorly this hypothetical person is operating their motor vehicle...That I leave up to you. In my case, it was obvious.

I witnessed a fatigued (as it turned out) driver drift into the snow bank twice on Vermont Route 100 (2-lane) and called it in. As I was on the phone with the 911 operator, I watched this driver drift into oncoming traffic on a blind curve...he reacted at the last second to avoid a head on collision. I stayed a safe distance back and helped the local LE and State Trooper ID the car. Had I not called it in, and had he drifted again, someone could have been killed, he almost killed someone right before my eyes and his fatigue was worsening as I watched him.

The personal consequence of court, witness, etc. is the price of doing the right thing. The price of doing nothing could be someone's life, and I am not willing to have someone else pay that price for my inaction.
 
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Originally Posted By: Astro14
You call it in. Period.

I witnessed a fatigued (as it turned out) driver drift into the snow bank twice on Vermont Route 100 (2-lane) and called it in. As I was on the phone with the 911 operator, I watched this driver drift into oncoming traffic on a blind curve...he reacted at the last second to avoid a head on collision. I stayed a safe distance back and helped the local LE and State Trooper ID the car. Had I not called it in, and had he drifted again, someone could have been killed, he almost killed someone right before my eyes and his fatigue was worsening as I watched him.

The personal consequence of court, witness, etc. is the price of doing the right thing. The price of doing nothing could be someone's life, and I am not willing to have someone else pay that price for my inaction.


Bravo sir. Bravo.
 
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