Chief’s Column: Hey, is that guy driving drunk?

Question: Over the holiday season, I was driving home from a friend’s house when I noticed a vehicle in front of me being operated in a somewhat strange way. I wasn’t sure if the driver was ill, texting or maybe intoxicated. Is there any information you can provide to help identify a driver who may be intoxicated?

Answer: When someone sees an erratic driver, they will think, is that person texting or drunk? There are differences between someone who is texting while driving or too intoxicated to drive (both very dangerous activities.) To assist motorists in identifying possible drunk or impaired drivers, the Grafton Police Department would like to offer the following information provided by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

How to Spot a Drunk Driver

You can help protect your family from drunk drivers by looking for these signs of intoxication among other motorists:

• Quick acceleration or deceleration
• Tailgating
• Weaving or zigzagging across the road
• Driving anywhere other than on a road designated for vehicles
• Almost striking an object, curb, or vehicle
• Stopping without cause or erratic braking
• Drifting in and out of traffic lanes
• Signaling that is inconsistent with driving actions
• Slow response to traffic signals (e.g. sudden stop or delayed start)
• Straddling the center lane marker
• Driving with headlights off at night
• Swerving
• Driving slower than 10 mph below the speed limit
• Turning abruptly or illegally
• Driving into opposing traffic on the wrong side of the road

What to do if you see a drunk driver

It happens every day. Drunk drivers get on the roads endangering our friends and loved ones. Sometimes we witness these drivers on the road, weaving in and out of lanes or traveling down a highway going the wrong direction. Quite often, responsible citizens are left asking themselves what do I do?

• Stay as far away from the other vehicle as possible.
• Do not try to pass the vehicle or signal the driver to pull over. Doing so could result in a collision.
• Take notice of the license plate number of the vehicle along with details including make, model and color. However, make sure you don’t compromise your own safety trying to obtain this information.
• Pull over and call 911. Give the exact location of the vehicle, including the name of the road or cross streets and the direction the vehicle is traveling. Give a complete description of the vehicle and the manner in which the vehicle is being driven.

By looking for these signs and taking the correct action, you could help save a life.

Anyone with questions for the Chief’s Column may submit them by mail to the Grafton Police Department, 28 Providence Road, Grafton, MA 01519. You may also email your questions or comments to chief@graftonpolice.com. Please include an appropriate subject line, as I do not open suspicious email for obvious reasons.

Normand A. Crepeau, Jr.

Chief of Police