One fewer drunk on the roads

[Scooter]

Saturday night I was on my way home from watching the Huskers beat KSU at a friend's house in Omaha. There was a LOT of traffic going the opposite way as I drove toward Lincoln while the football traffic was driving out of Lincoln. As I passed through my old home town about 25 miles from where I now live we were on a nice 4-lane stretch of Highway 6. I noticed the vehicle in front of me swerve from the right lane well over the dotted line. In the three mile stretch to my next turn where the highway narrows down to just two lanes, this car crossed the dotted line three times and the solid line at the shoulder three more times. The first swerve was no isolated incident.

As we turned west into very steady football traffic, I dialed my phone to 911. Things like this are one of the very few reasons I'll EVER talk on my phone while driving. As we approached a red light, this vehicle slowed down but did not stop turning right. The vehicle swerved onto the shoulder twice more. If it swerves left now, they will plow into very heavy east bound football traffic. 911 took a while to answer, probably a bad cell spot. We finally got talking and it took a while for me to identify where we were since there are few cross roads to identify. After a couple miles we found a few and they pinned it down. About then we crossed the Platte river and they had to hand me off to the next county and I had to start the description all over again!

Just across the river the vehicle turned off the main highway (thankfully! traffic going the other way was bumper to bumper) and I followed without even asking if that's what the police wanted me to do. This car was now not only swerving, but speeding quite a bit. The dispatcher had a hard time pinning our location down since I was off any named highways. I passed a few landmarks and she got our location identified. She said a Deputy was just two miles north of us. As we proceeded down a VERY crappy gravel road I stayed in persuit (never speeding myself though). The dispatcher asked if any other cars were around. I said no, couldn't see anyone but the vehicle I was following. I think they caught on I was following since they slowed down and drove somewhat better. It's hard to judge swerving on a gravel road without lines on it.

After a couple miles on gravel I saw lights behind me. I told the dispatcher and she said to pull over and let them go by. I turned on my flashers as I pulled over so the Deputy would know it was me and that they were on the right trail. The cop car blew by me at a good clip. Yeah! The dispatcher told me I could go home. I told her all the "offenses" the person had made but she said the Deputry would have to have their own probable cause to pull them over in the first place. I told her the car had a burned out brake light, that should do the trick!

I got home, turned off my phone and went to bed. The Huskers had won their game and managed to win the Big Twelve North division and no happy fans got killed by this idiot. It was a good night. I turned my phone on Sunday morning and I had a voice mail in which the county dispatcher relayed a message to me from the Deputy that they had arrested a woman for drunk driving!

I'll bet that woman wonders what that county Sherriff was doing on that desolate stretch of dirt road so late at night. I'm just glad I didn't have to call for rescue units.

[molotovwars]

Good call.

Based on the wording of the title and the opening bits I thought you might have witnessed the death of a drunk driver. Now I wonder if the woman will have learned from this incident.

[Luke]

Good on you. I once had a similar experience after a Chili Peppers/Snoop concert.

A drunk driver recently killed a man on the street I live on. The man was 42, two children and was hit by a drunk driver at around 11pm, and was killed instantly. Like most of these accidents, the drunk walked away with out a scratch, but directly into jail.

I hate the Drunk driving laws. I say if you kill someone while driving drunk, it's premeditated murder. There was an NFL player who drove drunk and killed a man this year, and didn't serve a day in prison. Plus, most drunk drivers who kill someone, spend less than six years in prison. So here is a tip, if you really want someone dead, and don't want to serve life+ in prison, get drunk and run over them.

[jp1]

Around here on holidays and special events tow truck companies offer drunks a ride home and a free tow so their vehicle can get home safely as well.

It never fails some idiots drive home drunk anyway.

They should collect keys at the door and hand them out based on breathalyzer results.

[Scooter]

So here is a tip, if you really want someone dead, and don't want to serve life+ in prison, get drunk and run over them.

I think there was an episode of Matlock with that very same plot idea.

[Luke]

jp1, that is awesome.

Speaking of tow truck drivers, I came up with a (what I think is a) brilliant idea in grad school.

One night after finals, a few buddies and I went to downtown Raleigh to let loose. We had a place to stay, but couldn't find anywhere to park. Even the lots were full, and after at least a half hour of looking it hit me. AAA. I've been with triple A since I bought my first car, may she rest in peace. So, I have free towing for up to 200 miles a year, or something close to that. I parked illegally, called AAA, they towed it back to my friends house, free of charge. We all got hammered, took a cab back, and I was only out three bucks for the cab fare.

If you have AAA, use it.

[Luke]

So here is a tip, if you really want someone dead, and don't want to serve life+ in prison, get drunk and run over them.

I think there was an episode of Matlock with that very same plot idea.

Get out of here. Really?

Matlock steals all of my good ideas.

[Scooter]

So here is a tip, if you really want someone dead, and don't want to serve life+ in prison, get drunk and run over them.

I think there was an episode of Matlock with that very same plot idea.

Get out of here. Really?

Matlock steals all of my good ideas.

Okay, to be honest it might not have been Matlock specifically but I do recall seeing that story plot in some bad cop/lawyer drama somewhere. True to form on such shows, the guy got caught. But at the end of the show it occurred to me that it really amounted to a how-to of how to kill somebody and get off with only a small punishment.

I'm just glad my own little cop drama ended in no one getting hurt (except maybe for the drunk who had to go to jail that evening).

[superlarz]

Good on you. I once had a similar experience after a Chili Peppers/Snoop concert.

A drunk driver recently killed a man on the street I live on. The man was 42, two children and was hit by a drunk driver at around 11pm, and was killed instantly. Like most of these accidents, the drunk walked away with out a scratch, but directly into jail.

I hate the Drunk driving laws. I say if you kill someone while driving drunk, it's premeditated murder. There was an NFL player who drove drunk and killed a man this year, and didn't serve a day in prison. Plus, most drunk drivers who kill someone, spend less than six years in prison. So here is a tip, if you really want someone dead, and don't want to serve life+ in prison, get drunk and run over them.

To be fair, the man he hit ran illegally across the street in front of his car trying to catch a bus. Even if he hadnt been drinking and on drugs (he was high too) there is a good chance he would have hit the man, but who knows. Also, he was in jail for the incident, but only for just under a month (the sentence was just a little bit light.) He was suspended indefinitely from the NFL, I think he may be allowed reinstatement next year, but i'm not sure.

[J T]

Cops in your area move fast! I got HIT by a drunk driver who also tried to escape and it took the cops 30 minutes to arrive. Luckily the man was very drunk and I got him to pull over and tell me his life story on the side of the interstate entrance while my wife called the cops and we both waited. By the time the cops FINALLY got there I knew all about this guys car, his favorite auto parts dealers, his job, his girlfriend, all the insurance info I could possibly need, etc.