We, as drivers, want the roadways to be as safe as possible for ourselves, friends, children, and even strangers. Unfortunately, sometimes, that means helping the police to make an arrest. Many citizens think of police with an ‘us vs. them’ mentality. However, police do a lot to make the roadway, and public spaces, safer for all of us. So, when you spot what appears to be a drunk driver, it’s important that you intervene. While you might not like to involve yourself with police more than you have to, doing so in this scenario could save you, a friend, a child, or a stranger. Drunk driving is dangerous, and doing so is against the law. So, if while driving you suspect drunk driving, reach out to police. You never know who’s life you might save…
Suspect Drunk Driving? What to Look For AS You Call Police
We are going to lay some signs of drunk driving out there. But keep in mind that these are not all-inclusive. The only person who can judge the scenario is the person in the roadway. So, if you suspect that a driver is operating illegally, call police as you make distinctions. At the end of the day, if you’re wrong and the driver isn’t drunk— they’ll go on their way. Either way, you’ll rest a little easier knowing that you didn’t just let a potentially drunk driver go on to injure someone else.
Spotting a Drunk Driver
Spotting a drunk driver may be easy if you know what to look for. If you notice some suspicious behavior of drivers around you, understand it is possible that they are driving under the influence. Therefore, it is best to be able to recognize signs that someone is driving impaired and remove yourself from the situation.
What to Look For:
Swerving
Swerving back and forth while driving is an obvious sign of distracted driving in some capacity. Some cars may swerve between lanes, off the road, or even into other vehicles or roadway obstructions.
Excessive Braking and Reduced Speed
You might think of drunk drivers as particularly reckless. While this is true in many regards, one typical sign of a drunk driver is very slow driving, or necessary braking. A drunk driver might go well under the speed limit, or stop a lot, as a means of ‘compensating’ for the state that they’re in.
Excessive Speeding
On the flip side of that previous sign, is excessive speed. While some drivers might try to compensate by going slow, others might disregard their state completely and drive very fast without thinking twice about it.
If you suspect drunk driving, call the police immediately
The best thing you can do to protect your own safety is to let the driver pass you, stay behind them, get their information, the direction they’re driving in, and then pull off the roadway and make the call. To be safe, you should allow yourself to get some distance from the driver as you alert the police. As you make this call to protect others’ safety, pull off the road to protect your own.
