Drunk driving causes a significant percentage of serious injuries and deaths yearly. Naturally, road users will want to avoid a drunk driver. But how can you spot one?
Here are five signs you may be around a drunk driver:
1. Quick acceleration and deceleration
A drunk driver may have difficulty maintaining a consistent speed. If you notice a driver keeps accelerating and decelerating rapidly, they may be drunk.
2. Weaving in and out of lanes
Weaving is another telltale sign of a drunk driver. Alcohol is a depressant – it can cause a driver to feel sleepy. When a driver falls asleep, they may be unable to keep their vehicle in their lane.
3. Tailgating
It can be hard for a drunk driver to judge distance correctly, which means they may fail to maintain a safe following distance. Tailgating can be dangerous because if any obstruction causes you to suddenly stop or slow down, the following driver may crash into you since they don’t have enough space to respond safely, and this can even worsen if the following driver is impaired.
4. Almost striking objects
If a driver around you keeps missing objects, such as curbs just barely, they may be falling asleep behind the wheel due to alcohol.
5. Driving extremely slowly
In most cases, drunk drivers speed, as alcohol promotes risky behaviors. However, one may also drive too slow (10 mph below the speed limit). Due to the brain impairment caused by alcohol, the driver may not know how slow they are going.
If a driver around you exhibits the above-discussed signs or any that you believe is unusual, you need to be extra careful. If they cause an accident, injuring you, obtain adequate information to know your rights and options.
