Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Drunk Drivers

f6twister · 11-21-2004, 09:46 PM

Does someone calling the cops know that another driver is drunk? Of course not. They have no way of knowing for sure. The question becomes, if you see a vehicle weaving from lane to lane including crossing into on-coming traffic, driving on the shoulder and unable to maintain their speed, do you want your family to be on the same road as this person, no matter what the reason? I know I don't. If it's a problem with the car, stop and call a tow truck. If the driver is having a seizure, I would think someone should be called to assist that person.

Regarding your friends incident, yes, the cops are going to check out the driver on a report of drunk driving. They don't need to observe the subject's driving if they already have a witness to attest to what they observed. After hearing the kinds of excuses people come up with as to why they were driving bad, I can't blame the cop for following through with the investigate instead of automatically accepting an excuse of car trouble. Had this cop accepted the excuse and he was drunk, then got back on the road and killed someone or himself, where would that leave the cop?

Finally, how much weaving or bad driving equals drunk driving? The best judge I have is how safe I feel with this person on the road. I followed a car today that was weaving in its lane (but not crossing into on coming traffic or driving on the shoulder) and their speed varied from 40-60 mph. I left the person alone. While not very good driving, I didn't feel as though this person was a threat. The last time I called, the driver crossed the yellow and white lines multiple times, had a variable speed, ran a stop sign and nearly hit me. She ended up with a blood alcohol content of right around .20%. Where I live the max is .08%. The best I can say is if you are unsure, its better to call and inconvience someone than to let it go and risk the lives of so many othe people.

11-21-2004, 09:46 PM	#18 (permalink)
f6twister Addict	Does someone calling the cops know that another driver is drunk? Of course not. They have no way of knowing for sure. The question becomes, if you see a vehicle weaving from lane to lane including crossing into on-coming traffic, driving on the shoulder and unable to maintain their speed, do you want your family to be on the same road as this person, no matter what the reason? I know I don't. If it's a problem with the car, stop and call a tow truck. If the driver is having a seizure, I would think someone should be called to assist that person. Regarding your friends incident, yes, the cops are going to check out the driver on a report of drunk driving. They don't need to observe the subject's driving if they already have a witness to attest to what they observed. After hearing the kinds of excuses people come up with as to why they were driving bad, I can't blame the cop for following through with the investigate instead of automatically accepting an excuse of car trouble. Had this cop accepted the excuse and he was drunk, then got back on the road and killed someone or himself, where would that leave the cop? Finally, how much weaving or bad driving equals drunk driving? The best judge I have is how safe I feel with this person on the road. I followed a car today that was weaving in its lane (but not crossing into on coming traffic or driving on the shoulder) and their speed varied from 40-60 mph. I left the person alone. While not very good driving, I didn't feel as though this person was a threat. The last time I called, the driver crossed the yellow and white lines multiple times, had a variable speed, ran a stop sign and nearly hit me. She ended up with a blood alcohol content of right around .20%. Where I live the max is .08%. The best I can say is if you are unsure, its better to call and inconvience someone than to let it go and risk the lives of so many othe people. __________________ A little rudeness and disrespect can elevate a meaningless interaction to a battle of wills and add drama to an otherwise dull day. Calvin