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What happens if you call 911 to report an incapacitated driver? ?

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What happens if you call 911 to report an incapacitated driver?

Is that grounds enough for the other driver's arrest or getting a ticket?

Can I get in trouble if I'm mistaken and the person was simply texting or crying hysterically and therefore driving insanely for those reasons? Shouldn't that also be taken into account as incapacitated driving?

Here is what happened: A few days ago I called 911 to report the license plate, location and vehicle make and model. The car was swerving into oncoming traffic, oftentimes driving down the midline straddling halfway into oncoming traffic. They would frequently come to a sudden, grinding halt at every intersection, frequently right in the middle, regardless of whether they had a red or green light. They were drunk, high, both, or crazy. I followed them and answered the 911 dispatcher's questions but after a few minutes I had to turn off the road to get to my destination. The 911 person had already pinpointed the errant driver's location and I hung up, satisfied.

But I just want to know what happens next. I suppose the police had no obligation to notify me if they caught the person and what happened next, but I'm curious. I know that they went after them, and I didn't get in any trouble or get any positive feedback either; was my report be proof enough to get the person in trouble?

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6 ANSWERS


  1. All you need is a violation of the law to stop someone, the evidence for drunk driving doesn't start until you make contact.  As long as you observe a violation of the law, the stop is valid, regardless of the reason for the bad driving.

    Many times, when a citizen calls in a drunk driver, the officer is able to witness the erratic driving, and make the stop on his own observations, so the citizen is not needed to make the case.

    Determining if your observations alone are enough can vary with state law. In Wisconsin, an officer can not act on an anonymous driving complaint. If the person leaves their name, a stop can be made on their observations. The reason for this is the burden of proof for a traffic stop is much less (reasonable suspicion) than the burden of proof for an arrest (probable cause).


  2. You did the right thing. Keep doing what you're doing, and you'll probably will save some Innocent lives.

    Even if the person was not intoxicated or incapacitated, he was endangering himself or the surrounding public. If the police caught up with the car, they are capable to determine the driver was just reckless or drunk even without your testimony. If they arrested the subject, they might be contacting you to testify in court about your observations. Unfortunately in most cases when people call in such incidents, and then they quit following, it is hard to find the suspected vehicle.

    But I applaud you!!!

  3. I don't know that I would call 911, but you can definitely call the police.

    Usually unless an officer is actually in the area, and sees the offending driver, then all they can do is issue some kind of warning.

    If they received several calls about the same person or car, they might investigate further.

    Unfortunately there will always be drivers in various states of incapacitation - eating, smoking, fiddling with a cell phone/blackberry/stereo/mp3 player, arguing with someone in the car, trying to keep children in line, putting on makeup, falling asleep, reading (I'm not kidding) or just plain old not paying attention.

    That's why it pays to be careful - never assume other drivers see you - I've spent years riding a motorcycle, and all of the books say to pretend like you are invisible to other traffic.  I take it a step further, and pretend like people are actively trying to kill me (it's not far from the truth) and it's saved my butt a few times.

    Like when I had a guy swerve across three lanes of traffic on the interstate and stand up on his brakes directly in front of me.

    I grabbed my clutch and dropped two gears, locked up front and back brakes, and skidded right up to this dudes back bumper (keep in mind, I'm on a Suzuki Boulevard - a cruiser, not a rocket bike).  I would've probably asked him what the h**l his problem was, but if I had gotten off that bike, I would've punched a hole clean through his head or ripped his spine out..

    They are out there - and they are stupid.

    I drive a car just like I ride a motorcycle (way too fast most of the time), but paying attention to everything, and trying to minimize distractions.

  4. You won't hear anything more.  

    "Can I get in trouble if I'm mistaken and the person was simply texting or crying hysterically and therefore driving insanely for those reasons? Shouldn't that also be taken into account as incapacitated driving?"

    No.  A person in these conditions not stable enough to drive shouldn't be driving.

  5. I did it once to report a family member driving drunk with a minor after they got into a fight with my aunt on new years and the ***** 911 operator told me "ok do you want the police to comb all the highways looking for him? I'm sure he'll be back in the morning"

    that's what we pay taxes for.

  6. First off, the type of driver that you are describing is not an "incapacitated" driver, but an "impaired" driver. An incapacitated driver is someone who is unconscious, an impaired driver is someone who is being effected by something, usually drugs or alcohol.

    For an incapacitated driver the call would go out as a "man over the wheel" and result in the dispatch of police and an ambulance.

    Now for an impaired driver the response will depend on the circumstances. If the call includes limited info such as the scenario of the first answer then there's little that police can do besides make an announcement to watch for the vehicle. Now in your scenario the dispatcher has a running trail on the vehicle and a recent last known location & direction of travel so they are very likely to send officers. As to the likely hood of the driver being caught, that will depend on how fast the officers can search the target area.

    - David

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