Over the last 44 years, more than 1,000,000 Americans have been killed for no other reason than a drunk driver was holding onto the steering wheel while traveling down the road. Terrorists Can’t Compete with American Drunk Drivers, Since 1966, more Americans were killed by drunk drivers than the total number of American soldiers killed in ALL American Wars except the Civil War.    

Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk

If you were to let a friend drive away impaired and he or she were to kill someone or themselves while holding onto the steering wheel, how would you feel? Responsible and filled with guilt? Your friend will have to deal with jail time, thousands of dollars in fines, and they will need to attend an DUI school in Nevada, which could take up 8 to 72 hours of their time.  Online DUI classes can be very expensive and reach thousands of dollars for the highest amount of time.

So, how do you intervene to prevent an unnecessary tragedy or your friend from getting a DUI? The following suggestions might help if you were to be placed in that position.  

Above anything else, you must have the intestinal fortitude to protect your friend from themselves.

He or she will likely thank you later on, If they don’t find another friend. It is fairly easy to prevent your friends or loved ones from getting a DUI or DWI. If it is a close friend, try and use a soft, calm approach at first. Suggest to them that they’ve had too much to drink and it would be better if someone else drove or if they took a cab.

Be calm. Joke about it. Make light of it. Make it sound like you are doing them a favor.

If it’s a good friend, spouse, or significant other, tell them that if they insist on driving, you are not going with them. Suggest that you will call someone else for a ride, take a cab, Uber, Lyft or walk.

If it is somebody you don’t know well, speak to their friends and have them make an attempt to persuade the impaired person to hand over the keys so they do not get a DUI. Usually the intoxicated person will listen to a friend  or family member. But, if that fails for whatever reason, call the police to prevent a possible tragedy.  

Locate their keys while they are preoccupied and take them away. Most likely, they will think they’ve lost them and will be forced to find another mode of transportation. If possible, avoid embarrassing the person or being confrontational, particularly when dealing with men. This makes them appear vulnerable to alcohol and its effects and in some cases they may become combative.

Not letting your friends drive drunk is probably one of the best decisions you will make. They can avoid dealing with the stress of driving under the influence and avoid having to deal with the DUI process. If you know someone who has gotten a level one DUI or DWI in Nevada and needs to take an online DUI class, you can refer them to our DUI course here.

Cues Used by Law Enforcement in Recognizing a Potentially Drunk Driver

• Problems Maintaining Proper Lane Position
• Swerving
• Drifting across lanes
• Straddling a lane line
• Weaving across lane lines
• Turning with a wide radius
• Almost striking a vehicle or other object

Speed and Braking Problems

• Stopping problems (too far, too short, or too jerky)
• Accelerating or decelerating for no obvious or apparent reason.
• Inconsistent speed
• Slow speed -10 mph or more under the posted speed limit.
• Crashing into another vehicle, tree, rock, house and most anything else.

Vigilance Problems

• Driving in opposing lanes or the wrong way on one-way street
• Slow response to traffic signals
• Slow or failure to respond to officer’s signals
• Stopping in a lane for no apparent reason
• Driving without headlights at night
• Failure to signal or signal inconsistent with action

Judgment Problems

• Following too closely
• Improper or unsafe lane change
• Illegal or improper turn
• Driving on other than the designated roadway
• Stopping inappropriately in response to officer
• Inappropriate or unusual behavior (littering, arguing, etc.)

Post Stop Cues

• Difficulty with motor vehicle controls
• Difficulty exiting the vehicle
• Fumbling with driver’s license or registration
• Repeating questions or comments
• Swaying, lack of coordination, unsteady or  balance problems
• Failure to signal or signal inconsistent with action

Post Stop Cues Continued

• Leaning on the vehicle or other object
• Slurred speech
• Slow to respond to officer or if an officer must repeat the instructions
• Providing incorrect information or changes answers
• Odor of alcoholic beverage from the driver
• Driving without headlights at night

If a driver exhibits any of these signs to a law enforcement officer, they will be scrutinized much more closely. A trained and experienced  law enforcement officer will be able to quickly assess if a driver is intoxicated and driving under the influence. It’s not one sign that leads an officer to determine if a driver is impaired, but typically there will be several indications of impairment. But, even one sign is enough of a cause to be evaluated for intoxication.

If you or a friend have been convicted of a DUI because of driving drunk, we can help you with an affordable online DUI class. The second the officer realizes that someone is drunk, is the second that individual will be faced with jail time and outrageous fines.