Have you ever called 911 to report a drunk driver?

[madoka]

Tonight I found another drunk driver. He was swerving from his lane into the one to his left, then he'd swing back into his lane and then to the one to his right. Then repeat. Normally I'd pull up next to them to see if they're just using a cellphone, but it was too dangerous this time given how he was swerving between three lanes.

He was about the eighth time I called 911. Almost all were for drunk drivers.

1) I'm dismayed at how many times I was hung up on when I called 911. That shouldn't ever happen.

2) The reactions of the 911 operators have varied wildly from complete disinterest/apathy to rapt attention.

3) Very often the drunks realize that you're following them, so they still have enough sense to try to lose you.

4) City cops think drunk driving cases are a chore while highway patrol love them.

5) The worst case I saw was when I was in the number 1 lane doing about 75 at night. I saw a car coming up fast behind me to the left, so I slowed down thinking it could be a cop. I immediately realized that I was in the left most lane and that guy was driving 90-100 MPH on the shoulder. Then I saw an explosion of sparks as he scrapped the side of his car against the metal guard rails.

6) One time I gave the other car's license and they said that we were driving close enough to his house that they were just going to check up on him later.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I find it's something that would be kinda hard to do while driving, and could put you at risk of getting charged for using a cell while driving. I guess if you have a dash cam you could get close to get license plate info, then pull over and just review footage and report the license plate and general direction and report it.

Never done it myself though, but it has crossed my mind when seeing someone that appears to be driving drunk. Either drunk, or just super terrible driver.

 

[TurtleCrusher]

Yes. The police/911 shouldn't care because you're reporting a felony and acting in good faith. I've called multiple times. They didn't give a fuck.

 

[tortillasoup]

I'm used to calling 911 to report hazards in the roadway, never had an issue. Not sure about drunk driver experience though.

 

[Squisher]

5) The worst case I saw was when I was in the number 1 lane doing about 75 at night. I saw a car coming up fast behind me to the left, so I slowed down thinking it could be a cop. I immediately realized that I was in the left most lane and that guy was driving 90-100 MPH on the shoulder. Then I saw an explosion of sparks as he scrapped the side of his car against the metal guard rails.

It's a good thing you're getting drunk or impaired drivers off the road, but if I'm reading your post right you were fairly alone on a road at night doing 75 thinking you were in the right lane when it occurred to you you were in the far left passing lane. You might want to do more to be cognizant of your surroundings first before paying attention to other drivers.

 

[midnight growler]

Yes, once before. I wish I would have called earlier or at least stayed on the line, because as soon as I hung up, the driver turned off the highway onto a busy road.

 

[madoka]

It's a good thing you're getting drunk or impaired drivers off the road, but if I'm reading your post right you were fairly alone on a road at night doing 75 thinking you were in the right lane when it occurred to you you were in the far left passing lane. You might want to do more to be cognizant of your surroundings first before paying attention to other drivers.

Nope, you're not reading right. That's why I said "immediately." The first knee-jerk reaction that I had when I saw headlights approaching was that it was a cop. Then I IMMEDIATELY (as in a split second) realized he was driving on the shoulder because I was already in the number 1 lane. You might want to read more carefully before you comment on other posters.

 

[dullard]

2) The reactions of the 911 operators have varied wildly from complete disinterest/apathy to rapt attention.

911 is the wrong number, it is for emergencies only. A drunk driver isn't an emergency (yet). Program the non-emergency police number into your phone instead.

Edit: Fine, if you don't like that, program the emergency police number into your phone. When the OP gets disinterested 911 dispatchers instead, call directly to the police rather than going through middlemen who are apathetic to your situation.

 

[amicold]

Never had to for someone in my travel direction. Twice I've called to report wrong direction of travel on six lane divided interstates (think headlights coming at you). One time turned out to be a confused elderly gentleman who killed himself in a crash and the other I never heard about. Both times I apologized if they didn't feel it was worth tying up a line for 911. Interestingly both were on the same interstate the same year, and it's not confusingly set up at all.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Yes - a few years ago, the wife and I were going to dinner one Saturday night and the guy in front of us was swerving all over. She called while I maintained a safe distance and a few minutes later, a police car appeared out of nowhere, pulled out between us, and got the guy.

 

[DaTT]

911 is the wrong number, it is for emergencies only. A drunk driver isn't an emergency (yet). Program the non-emergency police number into your phone instead.

This is false information. A drunk driver IS an emergency and you SHOULD call 911. Since when is putting the lives of everyone on the road in danger not an emergency?

I have called 2 times to report impaired drivers.

 

[tortillasoup]

911 is the wrong number, it is for emergencies only. A drunk driver isn't an emergency (yet). Program the non-emergency police number into your phone instead.

Your user name is quite fitting.

http://www.ots.ca.gov/Media_and_Res...n/Public_Information/Report_Drunk_Drivers.asp

How to Report a Drunk Driver

The following signs can help you detect an impaired driver on the road:

Call 911 and tell them you wish to report a suspected drunk driver. You do not have to give your name.

 

[Anubis]

yes well kinda


ive called to report people driving erratically, most notionally a semi who was all over the place

not sure if he was drunk or not

we called 911 asked who we needed to talk to to report this and they transferred us to someone, i think state popo

 

[NesuD]

Once right after he rear ended me while I was waiting at a traffic signal.

 

[rh71]

once. ban alcohol

 

[Linux23]

I've called multiple times to report noise disturbances from my neighbors house and they acted like they didn't give a shit. Go figure

 

[JulesMaximus]

A few months ago I was driving on the freeway with my wife and our son when I noticed the guy in front of me was driving slowly and drifting all over the road, out of his lane etc. I thought he was drunk but it turned out he was just texting.

 

[Elganja]

A few months ago I was driving on the freeway with my wife and our son when I noticed the guy in front of me was driving slowly and drifting all over the road, out of his lane etc. I thought he was drunk but it turned out he was just texting.

texting is just as bad as driving drunk sometimes ... anytime i see someone doing that, i try to get next to them, and honk my horn a few times

as for the OP... yes, if they are swerving that badly i would call 911 in a heartbeat.

 

[Elganja]

911 is the wrong number, it is for emergencies only. A drunk driver isn't an emergency (yet). Program the non-emergency police number into your phone instead.

the police should make an effort to create a mobile app to report such things ... would make it super easy to pass GPS info on to them

 

[pete6032]

911 is the wrong number, it is for emergencies only. A drunk driver isn't an emergency (yet). Program the non-emergency police number into your phone instead.

So we should program the phone numbers of every municipal police department into our phones and then determine which municipality the driver is in and call that respective department? Should we call multiple police departments if the driver goes through several suburbs?

 

[dullard]

So we should program the phone numbers of every municipal police department into our phones and then determine which municipality the driver is in and call that respective department? Should we call multiple police departments if the driver goes through several suburbs?

Clearly if you don't know the number, then call 911. But if you want faster, better service and not having apathy from the 911 responders, then call the police directly. Calling 911 is just endangering people as it delays the time until the police get the call (especially in the OPs case where the 911 responders don't seem to care).

 

[Stopsignhank]

911 is the wrong number, it is for emergencies only. A drunk driver isn't an emergency (yet). Program the non-emergency police number into your phone instead.

This. I have the number for the CHP (California Highway Patrol) programmed into my phone. They are who I also call if there is a road hazard, such as stuff in the road.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

I called once about 3 years ago. Lunchtime on a weekday, guy cut me off pulling out of a bar and immediately swerved across both lanes onto a lawn and then back onto the road. Really wild course corrections and speed variances, he must have been at least triple the legal limit. The 911 dispatcher cared and had a cruiser there in only a couple of minutes. Pulled the guy over, took him away in cuffs and towed the car.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Here in CA, they even use those signs that post amber alerts etc to call 911 to report drunk drivers.

 

[Kaido]

Yup. Driving home one night & a dude was drifting back & forth over 3 lanes. The traffic behind him looked like the OJ chase...everyone was keeping their distance because they could tell he was plastered. Would have been funny if it wasn't so scary...I was worried the dude was going to drift into a light pole & get clobbered D:

Odd you mention this, I've called 911 more times in the last few months than I have in my entire life...mostly for crap being on the highway tho. Almost hit a chest of drawers the other day doing 65 down the highway! A few weeks ago, a truck was hauling huge 'bales' of fiberglass insulation and they alllllll scattered down the highway like marbles. Chaos! It looked like a scene from Bad Boys 2 on the highway!