So I called in a drunk driver last night…
Discussion
I was driving home last night from my parents house(about a 25 minute drive on mainly rural roads) and shortly after setting off a car made a very dubious exit into the road in front of me(they pretty much hit the curb on the opposite side of the road), I didn’t think too much about it but after following them for a few minutes they seemed to not be a great driver as they occasionally drifted to the other side of the road along with a few other unusual actions.
Now I’m not one to instinctively report poor driving and thought that it may just be some kid being distracted by a phone or a passenger so just stayed behind them as they were continuing along my route, but after a few minutes and several more occasions of drifting across the road, they almost hit an oncoming car, so at this point I decided to call 999 and report it. I was on the phone with them for a little while explaining the road I was on and where they were heading and the operator was logging it with local police along and saying that as soon as I hit the town we were heading for, the ANPR cameras should help the police intercept them.
As I entered the town(which is a large one) behind them, they went a different way to my usual route home but thought it best to stay behind them incase something happened, luckily with it being Christmas Day, it was fairly dead with little to no pedestrians around(good job as they went over a curb at one point in time). I kept following them for a little while longer (until they pulled into a cul-de-sac) all the while expecting the police to show up and intercept, but they never did.
The driver certainly got away with some reckless drunk driving, I’m just hoping that the police will at least track them down from the reg to give them a serious talking to and hopefully scare them away from ever making the same mistake again.
Now I’m not one to instinctively report poor driving and thought that it may just be some kid being distracted by a phone or a passenger so just stayed behind them as they were continuing along my route, but after a few minutes and several more occasions of drifting across the road, they almost hit an oncoming car, so at this point I decided to call 999 and report it. I was on the phone with them for a little while explaining the road I was on and where they were heading and the operator was logging it with local police along and saying that as soon as I hit the town we were heading for, the ANPR cameras should help the police intercept them.
As I entered the town(which is a large one) behind them, they went a different way to my usual route home but thought it best to stay behind them incase something happened, luckily with it being Christmas Day, it was fairly dead with little to no pedestrians around(good job as they went over a curb at one point in time). I kept following them for a little while longer (until they pulled into a cul-de-sac) all the while expecting the police to show up and intercept, but they never did.
The driver certainly got away with some reckless drunk driving, I’m just hoping that the police will at least track them down from the reg to give them a serious talking to and hopefully scare them away from ever making the same mistake again.
Had a pretty much identical experience recently, also ending with me having to peel off to go my intended direction with the Police never showing up. I rang the local non emergency number and gave commentary for about 15 minutes.
Ended up reporting it again online with my dashcam footage, first time I’ve ever done that but they were patently drunk or otherwise incapable of driving properly. Ultimately got a template email to say that “the driver(s) identified in the submission(s) will receive either a warning letter, a fixed penalty or a prosecution”.
Presumably since time is of the essence with these offences actually connecting a driver to the car when they’ve parked up is difficult and the likelihood is they got away with it.
Not enough Police on the roads for this sort of thing.
Ended up reporting it again online with my dashcam footage, first time I’ve ever done that but they were patently drunk or otherwise incapable of driving properly. Ultimately got a template email to say that “the driver(s) identified in the submission(s) will receive either a warning letter, a fixed penalty or a prosecution”.
Presumably since time is of the essence with these offences actually connecting a driver to the car when they’ve parked up is difficult and the likelihood is they got away with it.
Not enough Police on the roads for this sort of thing.
A few years back the guy behind me was driving very erratically to the point we were discussing if he was drunk or an idiot or something else
Pulled up at some lights where he promptly drove into the back of me. Very low speed and the damage was limited to two holes in my bumper made by his number plate screws. Anyway, I got out to have a look but he stayed in his car with the window down. Thinking he was drunk I called 999 and while I was talking to them he drove off. I gave them all his details and was instructed by the police to take my documents to the station which I duly did the next morning
Heard nothing more for a few weeks and then got a letter from the police telling me they would be taking no action due to lack of evidence
Should something like this happen again I would do the same again - although I have no confidence anything would come of it. Like was said above, not enough police out and about to deal with stuff…
Pulled up at some lights where he promptly drove into the back of me. Very low speed and the damage was limited to two holes in my bumper made by his number plate screws. Anyway, I got out to have a look but he stayed in his car with the window down. Thinking he was drunk I called 999 and while I was talking to them he drove off. I gave them all his details and was instructed by the police to take my documents to the station which I duly did the next morning
Heard nothing more for a few weeks and then got a letter from the police telling me they would be taking no action due to lack of evidence
Should something like this happen again I would do the same again - although I have no confidence anything would come of it. Like was said above, not enough police out and about to deal with stuff…
Reported my neighbour a few times. I even had video evidence of her stumbling to her car and literally crawling out if it after going to buy more booze. I provided times when she would do it regularly (10-15 mins before the off licence closed). No follow up whatsoever as they needed to catch her in the act. Not even hitting our parked car while she was drunk warranted a visit.
Jaguar99 said:
A few years back the guy behind me was driving very erratically to the point we were discussing if he was drunk or an idiot or something else
Pulled up at some lights where he promptly drove into the back of me. Very low speed and the damage was limited to two holes in my bumper made by his number plate screws. Anyway, I got out to have a look but he stayed in his car with the window down. Thinking he was drunk I called 999 and while I was talking to them he drove off. I gave them all his details and was instructed by the police to take my documents to the station which I duly did the next morning
Heard nothing more for a few weeks and then got a letter from the police telling me they would be taking no action due to lack of evidence
Should something like this happen again I would do the same again - although I have no confidence anything would come of it. Like was said above, not enough police out and about to deal with stuff…
Now try making a spicy post on Twitter, they'll be over in minutes. Pulled up at some lights where he promptly drove into the back of me. Very low speed and the damage was limited to two holes in my bumper made by his number plate screws. Anyway, I got out to have a look but he stayed in his car with the window down. Thinking he was drunk I called 999 and while I was talking to them he drove off. I gave them all his details and was instructed by the police to take my documents to the station which I duly did the next morning
Heard nothing more for a few weeks and then got a letter from the police telling me they would be taking no action due to lack of evidence
Should something like this happen again I would do the same again - although I have no confidence anything would come of it. Like was said above, not enough police out and about to deal with stuff…
I did the same a while ago, drunk driver had a major accident and drove off, I called 999 followed her and then, when she pulled over, waited with her for about half an hour before the police arrived. Then I took a day off work and went to court to give evidence in her drink driving case, only the case was dropped at the last minute due to 'procedural errors'. The kick in the teeth was having to declare the £85 I claimed for witness expenses to HMRC on my tax return, meaning that I actually got about £50 for losing a whole day's work.
I hope the solicitor who got her off feels really happy with their day's work.
I hope the solicitor who got her off feels really happy with their day's work.
It may not be a pi55ed up driver O/P.
I was behind a car on my motorbike who for a couple of miles was all over the place. Thinking he was pi55ed i had a plan to pull out his keys when he stopped at the traffic lights, which i knew were about a mile ahead (hopefully they would be on red). He was swerving from one side of the road to the other and narrowly missed a coach before plowing into a hedge. I stopped and was raving at him for drink driving and how his driving could easily have killed a fellow biker. He was very dopey and said he never touches the stuff and didn't know what had happened. I then asked if he was a diabetic, he was. It turned out he was having a hypo. Someone else had some fizzy in their car which bought him down. Plod and ambulance turned up, i left my details and carried on home.
I was behind a car on my motorbike who for a couple of miles was all over the place. Thinking he was pi55ed i had a plan to pull out his keys when he stopped at the traffic lights, which i knew were about a mile ahead (hopefully they would be on red). He was swerving from one side of the road to the other and narrowly missed a coach before plowing into a hedge. I stopped and was raving at him for drink driving and how his driving could easily have killed a fellow biker. He was very dopey and said he never touches the stuff and didn't know what had happened. I then asked if he was a diabetic, he was. It turned out he was having a hypo. Someone else had some fizzy in their car which bought him down. Plod and ambulance turned up, i left my details and carried on home.
We went to a pre-Xmas party and when I arrived a local builder had parked his fancy pickup in the car park and had left his interior light on, I made a mental note to tell him.
At the party it was soon apparent that he was two sheets to the wind, I asked one of the others how he was so drunk so early and apparently he had arrived very drunk. He had driven the 2 miles from his house. I then thought, oh well he can have a flat battery to deal with in the morning when he collects his car.
Within the next hour he managed to do loads of shots, insult a lady I was talking to and then was a bit inappropriate with some of the teenage girls, nothing much but they were uncomfortable. He then pushed over the hosts girlfriend messing around so the host said "time to go home’
The host said he would run him home as he couldn’t walk in a straight line. He then ran (badly) to his own car and drove off….total tool.
I did not know his number plate but I will make sure I take it down next time I see it and if I see him like that again I will report it.
At the party it was soon apparent that he was two sheets to the wind, I asked one of the others how he was so drunk so early and apparently he had arrived very drunk. He had driven the 2 miles from his house. I then thought, oh well he can have a flat battery to deal with in the morning when he collects his car.
Within the next hour he managed to do loads of shots, insult a lady I was talking to and then was a bit inappropriate with some of the teenage girls, nothing much but they were uncomfortable. He then pushed over the hosts girlfriend messing around so the host said "time to go home’
The host said he would run him home as he couldn’t walk in a straight line. He then ran (badly) to his own car and drove off….total tool.
I did not know his number plate but I will make sure I take it down next time I see it and if I see him like that again I will report it.
I think a fair few of yous would be pretty shocked at just how commonplace the DUI still is... Other drugs as well, people go for years and years without getting caught / crashing (badly).
And as is so often the case with puny humans, we're having this asinine conversation about whether the limit should be lowered a bit, while the hard core that do it knows there's little chance of being caught.
And as is so often the case with puny humans, we're having this asinine conversation about whether the limit should be lowered a bit, while the hard core that do it knows there's little chance of being caught.
Saw a suspected one myself last night, all over the road, hit the curb then into on coming traffic (horns blarring), they had their full beam on too, didn't get the reg - was happy to see there was a few social updates with the police in action on the M56 near me last night too, drivers being breathalysed so excellent people are getting caught - there are some absolute cretins on the roads still doing it, especially this time of the year, absolute disgrace.
Red9zero said:
Reported my neighbour a few times. I even had video evidence of her stumbling to her car and literally crawling out if it after going to buy more booze. I provided times when she would do it regularly (10-15 mins before the off licence closed). No follow up whatsoever as they needed to catch her in the act. Not even hitting our parked car while she was drunk warranted a visit.
My parents experienced similar. Turned out she was shagging a copper so any lack of interest in prosecuting her was obviously coincidental.I called on in a few years ago.
He was driving his 911 up the M1 with kids in the the car and a bottle of whisky is his lap.
The police called back within an hour, they has caught him
I got another call the next day, the driver was 3+ times over the limit and had been charged.
The kids were with social services waiting for a family member to collect them and return to London.
He was driving his 911 up the M1 with kids in the the car and a bottle of whisky is his lap.
The police called back within an hour, they has caught him
I got another call the next day, the driver was 3+ times over the limit and had been charged.
The kids were with social services waiting for a family member to collect them and return to London.
I’m not one for reporting peoples driving but drink driving is an exception. First time I found i should call the police a few weeks ago about someone who must’ve been drunk or something. Behind them for a good few miles with him unable to stay in his own lane. Caused others to swerve, nearly hitting kerbs, speed up and down etc.
markymarkthree said:
It may not be a pi55ed up driver O/P.
I was behind a car on my motorbike who for a couple of miles was all over the place. Thinking he was pi55ed i had a plan to pull out his keys when he stopped at the traffic lights, which i knew were about a mile ahead (hopefully they would be on red). He was swerving from one side of the road to the other and narrowly missed a coach before plowing into a hedge. I stopped and was raving at him for drink driving and how his driving could easily have killed a fellow biker. He was very dopey and said he never touches the stuff and didn't know what had happened. I then asked if he was a diabetic, he was. It turned out he was having a hypo. Someone else had some fizzy in their car which bought him down. Plod and ambulance turned up, i left my details and carried on home.
I have type 1 and the rules are quite clear and strict, to the point where if you have a hypo behind the wheel you have to pull over at the nearest safe opportunity, remove the keys from the ignition and move to the passenger seat. You're also supposed to leave it 45 minutes before setting off again. Being hypo behind the wheel even while stopped with engine off etc is an offence, along the lines of driving/in charge whilst unfit. I was behind a car on my motorbike who for a couple of miles was all over the place. Thinking he was pi55ed i had a plan to pull out his keys when he stopped at the traffic lights, which i knew were about a mile ahead (hopefully they would be on red). He was swerving from one side of the road to the other and narrowly missed a coach before plowing into a hedge. I stopped and was raving at him for drink driving and how his driving could easily have killed a fellow biker. He was very dopey and said he never touches the stuff and didn't know what had happened. I then asked if he was a diabetic, he was. It turned out he was having a hypo. Someone else had some fizzy in their car which bought him down. Plod and ambulance turned up, i left my details and carried on home.
In the real world, I don't think many plod actually know this and probably wouldn't charge if you're stationary and munching Jelly Babies in the driver's seat.
There are, however, a significant number of drivers on insulin who have lost the awareness of being hypo, meaning they feel no symptoms and just pass out without warning. This is what the 3 year restricted licence reviews are supposed to weed out.
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