Topic: Hope they nail the Ba$tard? Feeling a bit torn here....

[Angry Chicken]

I followed this guy in a late model GMC Sierra pickup truck today at noon time.  Nice green-grey colour with a tonneau cover, king cab and 4x4.   I was behind him for quite a while, at least 20 minutes so long enough to get a reading on him.  He kept slowing down for no reason...hitting his brakes and keeping them applied for long stretches of driving and would periodically hit the shoulder of the road and veer back into his lane.  Sometimes he would tap his brakes even though he was way behind the car he was following.  He would speed up and then slow down unnecessarily at certain road junctions.  I've seen drunks do this before.  They're being so hyper careful that they even signal in curves in the road.    Additionally, he made a right turn through a red, not slowing or otherwise respecting the fact that there was an oncoming car who was "marooned" in the intersection as the light changed and forcing the other driver (nice VW Touareg, btw) to brake hard as he carried on his own impaired, oblivious way.  I've seen non-drunks do this before but taken together it was a pretty good indication that all was not well.

I took down his license plate as I was tailing him and hemmed and hawed about calling 911 and finally called it in.  He pulled into the parking lot of a certain provincially run gambling establishment's parking lot and I followed him in (not being too obvious about it) and waited until he got out of his truck so I could give a good description to the the police when they showed up.  Not more than 2 minutes after parking, first one, then another police cruiser pulled in and I directed the first lady cop to the entrance where the guy had just entered.  The dispatcher has my phone number, so it would be interesting to know what comes out of this.  He had a cellphone in his hand as he got out of his vehicle.  You don't suppose that that was the cause of impairment?  Is it possible that the person was so into their phone conversation that it only appeared that he was DUI?  Possible, I suppose, but given that it's the last work day before Christmas and the fact that he was pulling into a gambling establishment you could easily connect the dots.

Anyway, now I'm feeling a bit guilty about calling it in, but I suppose that it was my duty to do so.....

[airbalancer]

GM do not have King Cabs, was it an extended cab or crew cab

maybe the guy had to go to the wc 

[johngenx]

100% the right thing.

 

[bridgecity]

You did the right thing.

I had an instance a few years back while traveling on the highway, where a driver was swerving across the center lane and speeding up and slowing down as to not allow people to pass.  I swore he was impaired.  I called the local RCMP and reported him.  I got a call about an hour later from the RCMP saying the driver was fine and was just a little tired.  

[richink]

1000% the right thing. Even if the guy was distracted or tired, it will be a wake up call.

[Snowman]

100% the right thing.

 

  Have done this twice after following an erratic driver and both were eventually charged with impaired. Well done Angry Chicken.

[articsteve]

It's a slippery slope; being a citizen police man. IMO, you needed to see the offender crossover the centre line twice and then if you are so inclined make the call THEN and THERE while there is still a chance to catch the alleged impaired driver in the act.  Nothing wrong with calling Police about alleged impaired driving, but if the offender is impaired you'll know it in 5 minutes of observation, otherwise it's not your business.

Waiting till the alleged offender reaches his destination is a little late.  Why didn't you walk up to the guy and ask him for the "time" in an effort to make you're own evaluation before calling the Police  

[Angry Chicken]

It's a slippery slope; being a citizen police man. IMO, you needed to see the offender crossover the centre line twice and then if you are so inclined make the call THEN and THERE while there is still a chance to catch the alleged impaired driver in the act.  Nothing wrong with calling Police about alleged impaired driving, but if the offender is impaired you'll know it in 5 minutes of observation, otherwise it's not your business.

Waiting till the alleged offender reaches his destination is a little late.  Why didn't you walk up to the guy and ask him for the "time" in an effort to make you're own evaluation before calling the Police  

I called en route.

[mrthompson]

At one extreme, the driver was impaired and a visit from the cops meant a fine or worse.  At the other extreme, the driver could have been talking on his cell or texting, and the visit from the cops may make him think twice next time he is driving and needs to make a call/text.

 

[Guy]

You did the right thing. I once did the same, the guy I was following was all over the place, crossed the median a few times. 8 am! When the police arrived, we left. They later called me to say the guy was not drunk but falling asleep, he had worked all night.

They did not press charges but he was just as dangerous as drunk. He could have easily killed someone for the time I was following him.

[Brigitte]

Yup.  I would have done the same.  Erratic driving is erratic driving.  Good call, Pissed-Off Poultry.   

[dr_spock]

You did the right thing.  Dude wasn't driving at 100%. 

[SUBURBAN!]

I've been pulled over in my '62 Corvair on a Saturday after midnite, and I gave the COPS some attitude as I dn't drink, and wasn't even tired, just an old loose steering box, and a slow nite, I guess, anyways, they ran all the road side tests, and of course I passed.

My SIL rammed a driving car and two parked cars last month in her brand new Campry. She was drunk, and stupid. We'll see what the judge has to say.

15 years ago I used to watch a tenant next door spend 10 minutes maneuvering his F250 super cab long bed into his parking spot. One day he clipped my wifes car, and stumbled over to apologize. He was drunk, so I called the cops, and they told me he hadn't had a drivers license in 17 years!

A few years ago, an out of work carpenter came over to my construction site looking for work. I hired him, and he was the best hardest working guy, and always drinking, and sometimes slurring his speech, up on ladders, scaffolding. he'd drive without a drivers license, get pulled over, but not when he was drinking, and pay the fine, and get behind the wheel again. Last time I saw him, he had just served a year in prison, and was living in a 1/2 way house. He looked great, and was ready to go to work!

[5 Wheel Drive]

If he was drinking, then hopefully he's taken off the road.  If he was on the phone that whole time, then perhaps the realization that someone thought he was drunk will be a bit of a wake up call.  I'm sure he drew some attention when the nice policeman walked up to him in the middle of a busy public place like that.

Either way, good call Angry! 

[Jaeger]

Good call AC.  If more people did the same, there'd be fewer drunks on the road.  Dude may not have been drunk, but driving like that is reason enough for the police to make that inquiry.

Jaeger

[Angry Chicken]

I haven't heard anything back from the police, but then again I didn't ask them to call me.  Chances are that it's none of my business anyway.  I suppose if the guy was DUI, then the breathlyzer test would be all that they needed. 

I suppose it *was* the right thing to do, and my kids know my feelings about people not taking their responsibilities as citizens seriously enough to report jack a$$es like this guy.  Parents are supposed to be good examples, right?  My wife tells me that I would have felt both a lot worse and hypocritical had I not called.

Thank you all for your comments!

[life in the slow lane]

Good call, Angry Chicken.

I had an experience a few years ago, where there was a car that was sitting in some bushes at the side of the road and there were a group of people waving me down. The Mrs said I should stop, which I did.

When I approached one of the people who were hovering around the vehicle asked it I would help get this guys car out of the shurbs and back onto the road. As I got near the drivers side, I could smell the alcohol. Looked at these people and said "NO WAY. The best thing we can do is phone the police and let them deal with the situation. He's alraedy driven off the road once, he's almost dozing off again as we speak. If we put this drunk back on the road, he could kill someone then how would feel.In this case being a good Samaritan is not putting this guy back on the road, but taking him off the road."

Thank goodness, they all agreed and one of the people who had a cell phone, called the police.