How to Avoid Collisions With Drunk Drivers

Staying Safe Around Drunk Drivers

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 30 people were killed each day in the United States in 2017 because of drunk drivers. The good news is that you don’t need to be one of those individuals. Let’s look at how you can identify potentially impaired drivers and stay out of their way.

The Signs of a Drunk Driver

There are many ways that you can tell if a driver is intoxicated. First, that person will generally have a hard time staying in his or her lane, and in some cases, a vehicle may be driving on the wrong side of the road. Impaired drivers also tend to brake randomly or fail to stop for traffic control signs. Finally, an impaired driver may stop at green lights or otherwise fail to proceed through an intersection after stopping. This may be because that driver has fallen asleep or is too intoxicated to realize what he or she is supposed to do. Finally, impaired drivers may operate their windshield wipers or use their flashers when there is no reason to do so.

What to Do When You Encounter a Drunk Driver

If you have reason to believe that a driver is impaired, do not try to detain that person. Instead, call the police and give them as much information about the vehicle as possible. You should also give the exact location of the vehicle and where it is headed. An officer will be dispatched to the location, and that person will likely have the tools and experience needed to get the intoxicated person off the road without getting anyone hurt. If a vehicle is coming toward you, honk the horn and flash your vehicle’s lights at it. In the event that this doesn’t work, veer to the right in an effort to avoid a collision. Should a collision occur, a call to an auto accident attorney may help you get the compensation that you deserve.

Where Are Drunk Drivers Most Likely to Be?

Drunk drivers tend to be on rural roads during the late evening and overnight hours. While intoxicated drivers can be on the road any night of the week, they tend to occupy roads and highways most frequently on Friday or Saturday nights. This is especially true in college towns or areas that have bars or taverns that don’t close until 2 a.m. or later. Therefore, if you don’t have to be out at that time, it may be best to stay home and wait to run your errands or complete other tasks in the morning.

What Can You Do to Prevent Someone From Driving Drunk?

There are a variety of safe ways for a person to get home from a party, from a bar or from anywhere else that he or she has been drinking. If you see that your friend or colleague has had too much to drink, offer to call that person a cab. You can also call for an Uber or a Lyft vehicle if they are available in the area. If necessary, you can give an intoxicated person a ride home to make sure that he or she doesn’t drive. While individuals may not want to leave their cars at the bar or anywhere besides their garage for the night, it may be possible to leave a car where it is without getting a ticket. Even if a person gets a ticket, the fine will be much less than the fines and subsequent criminal record associated with a DUI charge. An auto accident attorney may be helpful for those who have experienced bodily injury or property damage. An accident lawyer from RAM Law may be able to show that another person was negligent in causing a crash to happen. To learn more about how the firm may be able to help, call our New Brunswick office at (732) 247-3600 or the Somerville office at (908) 448-2560. You can also visit our office locations during business hours or send an email to contact@ramlawnj.com.