Spotting a drunk driver isn’t always hard. Sometimes, they drive in a manner that is erratic and obvious. If a vehicle is swerving side to side, going off the road and on to the rumble strips or even crossing the center line could mean that the driver is drunk.
Driving on the wrong side of the street, driving at very low speeds or driving without headlights in the dark are also potential warning signs of a drunk driver. Can you do anything to safely avoid a drunk driver?
Try to give an impaired driver as much space as possible
Even if the seemingly drunk driver in front of you is already under the speed limit, you may want to drop your speed even lower than theirs. Giving yourself plenty of space between their vehicle and yours will give you time to react if they do something erratic, like slam on their brakes or suddenly veer off sideways in to traffic.
Don’t try to pass a drunk driver
Unless you are on a road with enough lanes that you can put an entire lane of traffic between your vehicle and the drunk driver’s, passing them may not be safe. They may be startled when they see your vehicle next to them or swerve in to you without realizing you were there.
Change your route if possible
If you are on the highway right next to a drunk driver, get off at the next exit. You can wait for five minutes before getting back on the highway if you don’t know another route to take or follow a completely different path home.
On surface streets, the same tip applies. Try to get away from the drunk driver by taking an alternate route home. If possible, you may also want to pull over on to the shoulder to call local law enforcement and report the impaired driver so that they don’t wind up causing a crash and hurting someone.
If you are injured by a drunk driver, be sure that you seek the compensation you need. An experienced attorney can help.