I play on a 9-ball pool league and I often see players who have quite a few drinks and then get in their cars and drive home. They are obviously intoxicated. I think this is absolutely horrifying.
Should I call and report them, hoping that they'll be stopped from hurting someone? If I called every time this happened, I'd talk to the police three or four times a week! But if one of these idiots killed themself or someone else, I'd feel responsible because of my inaction!
Can I report a drunk driver anonymously? I live in Montana if it makes a difference. We have one of the highest alcohol-related fatality rates in the nation, and the police take DUI very seriously.
2007-09-03 09:26:28 · 9 answers · asked by gobigms 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
If you can save someones life, absolutely. There are some organizations that will pay you for turning in a drunk driver, providing he/she is caught.
2007-09-03 10:08:31 · answer #1 · answered by CGIV76 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You would have to use your best judgment on this one. Most states are cracking down on drunk driving and have law enforcement near bar and club areas. From my past experience on reporting them the police officers are usually busy especially in big cities so by the time they get around to the report it is too late. What you might do is call a non-emergency number and request that they have someone patrol that certain area regularly. Someone earlier had said that you should do the civil thing and ask if you could call them a cab, though this is a good idea you might want to use your judgment before making this call also. Alot of intoxicated people can get violent when approached so you may think about looking for a bouncer or manager and have them approach them instead, if the bouncer or manager thinks that drunk will be a danger to anyone he/she will inform the cops or call a cab. One last thing you might consider is mentioning to the Establishment about a designated driver program. A few bars in the area I live have set it up to where either you (or a group) cannot drink unless you have a designated driver and the designated driver usually gets free soda all night and sometimes food if available, or the bar has a designated driver that owns a small moped or motorized bike so they can stick it in the trunk of cars or back of trucks and drive it back after driving the drinker home in his own car so there are not alot of stranded cars in the parking lot overnight (of course they charge a nominal fee).
2007-09-03 09:46:27 · answer #2 · answered by flutterby_cowgirl 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are a regular and people know that you are calling on drunks, it might ruin your enjoyment of the 9-ball league. However, DUI is a very serious crime- I would suggest talking to the police of having a patrol swing by when most people seem to be leaving. (I'm guessing it's near closing time when most of the drunks go home.)
I live in LA, and some bar strips and certain bars are notorious for having cops parked outside between 1:45 AM and 2:20 AM. If the cops can't spare the patrols, then perhaps calling is your only solution.
2007-09-03 09:32:18 · answer #3 · answered by jhannise 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, we all should. We have a DWI/DUI hotline. We've got a high DWI rate, too. These drunks are always driving the wrong way on the interstate. It's everybody's business. EDIT: Happy to see scooter's answer. I'm from NM, also. We have signs to call DWI if we see a driver we think is intoxicated. I think we've lost 12 people in 3 accidents from drunk drivers going the wrong way on the interstate. One of the major airlines lost their right to sell alcohol in flights to ALbuquerque. They served one of the drivers to the point of intoxication and then when he de-planed in Albuquerque, they asked him if he was going to drive; he said he was; the airline did nothing. Four people were killed in that one, just a few months ago. The airline appealed the ruling against them and lost. EDIT NUMBER 2: Six answers so far. We all say you should call. This could be the life of a friend or loved one you're saving.
2007-09-03 09:32:26 · answer #4 · answered by David M 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Each individual state (especially the rural ones) has their own policy or program set up for civilians to report drunk drivers. New Mexico, which is plagued with intoxicate drivers, has a 911 system in place for drivers to utilize when they spot intoxicated drivers.
Call the local sheriff where you reside (non-emergency number, of course) and ask about their policies and how you can help when you see someone leaving the bar who shouldn't be getting behind the wheel.
2007-09-03 09:32:41 · answer #5 · answered by Scooter 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely, turning a blind eye to a problem does not solve it. Either approach it the way you mentioned or civilly ask the person for their keys and offer to call for a cab.
Those options fail, perform your civic responsibilities and call the local police.
2007-09-03 09:31:05 · answer #6 · answered by Glen B 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Of course you should. I went so far as to follow a car onto the freeway until an officer showed up to pull them over, I stayed on the phone with the dispatcher the whole time. It was these two middle aged women who completely stumbled out of Fridays and over to their car. I said something to them before they left and they just gave me a dirty look. Guess I showed them!
2007-09-03 09:44:01 · answer #7 · answered by sami_sam 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You should. You can prevent them from getting into an accident and hurting others. I mean the drunk can die because he/she is stupid enough to DUI. But if they hurt someone else, that's the problem.
2007-09-03 09:30:58 · answer #8 · answered by Sam 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Or you can always say, "I should have called the cops, then that family would still be alive."
2007-09-03 11:17:43 · answer #9 · answered by johN p. aka-Hey you. 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋