How to Detect a Drunk Driver?

Drinking alcohol can negatively affect your body in several ways. Apart from taking a toll on your overall health, its immediate impacts make it dangerous to perform activities requiring attention, skills, and coordinated motion; decision-making, sensory perception, and brain function all suffer. The consequences therein trigger an impaired vision, lowered ability to concentrate, and altered judgment.

Intoxicated drivers kill thousands of people each year and cause millions of damages. Driving while impaired means you are putting your life and others in danger. Considering the consequences associated with drunk driving, it is prudent to know the signs required to detect a drunk driver. Knowing a drunk driver is now going to be simple than ever before. Here are the six signs you should consider to detect US roadways.

Speeding or driving at a low speed

Alcohol can increase risk-taking behaviors. It can also increase a false sense of confidence because of the feeling of being in control. You might spot them driving fast and slowly in the next minute. A drunk person is focused, but it becomes pretty difficult for them to change their attention to more than two different things. For instance, they can stay busy focusing on the lane but does a poor job at regulating the speed.
While failure to maintain the speed doesn’t necessarily mean a drunk driver, pairing this with other signs is suspicious.

Ignoring traffic lights

Alcohol can cause blurred vision, meaning intoxicated drivers get a hard time identifying objects directly in front of them. You may find them overspeeding and tend to ignore traffic lights, causing car accidents. Intersection accidents caused by drunk drivers are the worst driving crashes. Yes, because they involve head-on-head collisions. So, be cautious when crossing an intersection, especially during the weekend nights, because these are the times most drunk driver accidents occur.

Swerving between lanes

Drinking alcohol can affect the muscles that control the eyes, making them relax. And this can blur the driver’s vision, making him or her feel dizzy. When this happens, it becomes pretty difficult for the driver to maintain their lanes. In most cases, you will find the driver swerving from left, center, to the right, and back.

Swerving lanes back and forth is a clear indicator of a drunk driver. According to reports, weaving across the ways is a 50% probability of an intoxicated driver. So, avoid drivers that merge lanes without signaling. Report the incident to the police as soon as possible.

Stopping for no good reason

Alcohol makes decision-making difficult. In this case, you may find them stopping in the middle of the road for unclear reasons. This is an indication that the driver is not utterly in her or his sober mind.

Stopping in the middle of the road is dangerous. If you notice this behavior, especially more than once, report it to the police.

Tailgating

Alcohol can affect the driver’s vision. What may seem a normal driving distance cannot be normal to an intoxicated driver. You may find them approaching too close to vehicles to keep up with the traffic flow.

Failure to drive vigilantly

Blatantly not obeying roadway rules and regulations might be a sign of a drunk driver. This is especially true when paired with other signs. Failure to obey and pay attention to the road signs can also be a sign of drunk driving.

What should you do if you suspect a drunk driver?

If you notice drunk driving, report the possible driver to the police. And this is simple; describe the make, the color of the vehicle, and the number plate. Also, give the exact location, as this will make it easier for police to trace it. Keep a safe distance and avoid approaching the vehicle.

In case you get involved in a car accident, call DUI lawyers at McGrath Law Firm to see how they can help you.