Drunk driving is dangerous and illegal. However, what should you do if you see a driver you suspect is impaired on the roadway?
Here, the Phoenix personal injury lawyers at Sargon Law Group want to discuss the steps that you can take to help report drunk drivers in Arizona. By reporting suspected drunk driving, you are helping ensure the safety of others. You may even prevent serious injuries or fatalities. Information available from the
Arizona DOT indicates that there were around 4,500 total vehicle crashes related to drunk driving during the latest year of data available. Out of these incidents, 181 individuals were killed and nearly 3,000 sustained injuries.
What to Do If You See A Drunk Driver
If you are on the roadway and witness what you think is a driver around you impaired by alcohol or drugs, you need to call 911 as soon as possible. You will be put through to a dispatcher, and you need to let them know as much information as possible about the vehicle and the alleged drunk driver. This includes:
- Identifying the make, model, and color of the vehicle
- The license plate number of the vehicle, if you can see it
- The name of the street where you observed the drunk driver
- The direction the drunk driver what traveling
- A description of the drunk driver's behavior, including swerving into other lanes, driving too fast or too slow, stopping or going at inappropriate times, etc.
When you call 911, you will be put through to the dispatcher for the closest police department to your area. This may include a city police department, the county police, or the Arizona Highway Patrol. Do not be surprised if you are transferred to another agency, particularly if the drunk driver is heading out of the jurisdiction in question.
It is imperative that you do not follow the drunk driver too closely, and you absolutely should not try to stop the drunk driver on your own. Any type of interference from untrained individuals in regular vehicles could lead to an escalation of the situation and an accident. By trying to step in on your own, you could be putting many other lives at risk.
Some individuals do not report suspected impaired driving because they do not want to be wrong and get an otherwise sober person in trouble. However, even if it turns out that an erratic driver is not impaired, there is a chance that they could be suffering from some type of medical emergency. Individuals who experience low blood pressure, low blood sugar, seizures, or a cardiovascular event may also display the same types of driving behaviors and be in need of immediate medical attention. By calling 911, you may be helping save their lives.
If you have knowledge of a person whose driving conduct gives you concern, such as an individual who constantly drives while impaired by alcohol or drugs, you can report this individual to the
Arizona Department of Transportation. By filling out a driver condition/behavior report, which is
available online, you are giving information to the DOT about an individual that needs to be looked into. There is absolutely no guarantee that any action will be taken against the driver you report, but this will put the driver on the DOT's radar.
If You Have Been Injured, Get Help From a Phoenix Car Accident Lawyer
Our team of
Phoenix car accident attorneys know just how dangerous drunk driving accidents can be and can result in catastrophic injuries or even death. If you or a loved one has been an injured victim in a drunk driving car accident in Arizona, seek legal help from our
Glendale drunk driving accident lawyers today. The attorneys at Sargon Law Group specialize in personal injury claims in Arizona and can help you seek compensation in your car accident case. Call (623) 225-5635 or
contact us online to find out if you are eligible for compensation.
