Adventures with drunk drivers
Last night, my friends and I went up to Novato to play board games (we're amazing party animals. I'm glad you know this now.) We left around 11:45 at night and got onto the 101, heading south for our home in San Francisco.
Just past the Nave Drive exit, we saw a large white Audi SUV swerving in its lane (and occasionally out of its lane.) There were four of us in my car, and I was driving, and I felt this surge of ABSOLUTE HATRED for drunk drivers. Having worked in Novato for a better part of five years, I've seen quite a few distracted and likely drunk drivers on the roads, and since I had the luxury of friends in the car with me, I asked someone to call 911 and report this driver.
Once or twice in the past I have done this and dispatched has thanked me. I never knew what happened after my call. But last night, we were going the same way as this driver, so for about 30 minutes I drove behind it at a safe distance while watching it swerve (about 6 times out of its lane and twice close to another vehicle.)
But this is the coolest part of my story and why I'm posting about it: three times during our trip dispatch called my friend's cell phone back to ask where we were and inquire if we still saw the car. When we reached the Golden Gate Bridge, dispatch asked me to turn on my hazards and follow the SUV at a safe distance so a patrol car could find us and the drunk driver.
When we were off the bridge, I figured all bets were off - but sure enough, just before the tunnel under the Presidio, a police car shot around me and turned on its lights behind the SUV. (I'll be honest. I yipped in delight.)
I got to give a statement to the policeman later, who thanked us for helping out. I also got to see the older gentleman stumble out of his car and sway as the policemen talked to him and gave him some sobriety tests. I'm glad I saw this, because part of me wanted better confirmation that what I stopped was a drunk driver.
I'm not sure what happened with that man, and I know already that some might disagree with me pointing him out to the police, but as someone who has known drunk drivers and hated them for getting behind the wheel (and known people who have been hurt by drivers of this ilk) I can say that doing what I did made me very happy. I hope I helped that man learn he shouldn't drive drunk anymore and potentially stopped a future accident.
Board games: Serious business.
Just past the Nave Drive exit, we saw a large white Audi SUV swerving in its lane (and occasionally out of its lane.) There were four of us in my car, and I was driving, and I felt this surge of ABSOLUTE HATRED for drunk drivers. Having worked in Novato for a better part of five years, I've seen quite a few distracted and likely drunk drivers on the roads, and since I had the luxury of friends in the car with me, I asked someone to call 911 and report this driver.
Once or twice in the past I have done this and dispatched has thanked me. I never knew what happened after my call. But last night, we were going the same way as this driver, so for about 30 minutes I drove behind it at a safe distance while watching it swerve (about 6 times out of its lane and twice close to another vehicle.)
But this is the coolest part of my story and why I'm posting about it: three times during our trip dispatch called my friend's cell phone back to ask where we were and inquire if we still saw the car. When we reached the Golden Gate Bridge, dispatch asked me to turn on my hazards and follow the SUV at a safe distance so a patrol car could find us and the drunk driver.
When we were off the bridge, I figured all bets were off - but sure enough, just before the tunnel under the Presidio, a police car shot around me and turned on its lights behind the SUV. (I'll be honest. I yipped in delight.)
I got to give a statement to the policeman later, who thanked us for helping out. I also got to see the older gentleman stumble out of his car and sway as the policemen talked to him and gave him some sobriety tests. I'm glad I saw this, because part of me wanted better confirmation that what I stopped was a drunk driver.
I'm not sure what happened with that man, and I know already that some might disagree with me pointing him out to the police, but as someone who has known drunk drivers and hated them for getting behind the wheel (and known people who have been hurt by drivers of this ilk) I can say that doing what I did made me very happy. I hope I helped that man learn he shouldn't drive drunk anymore and potentially stopped a future accident.
Board games: Serious business.
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