So here's a practical question I faced the other night:
I was driving home from a shiur on Sunday evening; it was about 10:15 PM, and I was five minutes from home after a very long day. I was on a long, relatively busy street (heading north on Bathurst, just south of Steeles, for those who know Toronto). Two cars in front of me, a Toyota, some sort of SUV, stopped significantly short of the light. I thought it odd, but not unprecedented.
The light changed, and the SUVish vehicle started moving - not only forward, but also veering a little into the lane to its right, then back into its lane, and over to the oncoming traffic on its left side. Then far into its left, so that it nearly hit someone who was coming the other way in a turning lane - they missed colliding by perhaps five feet. Then they veered back into their lane.
So it went for the next couple of blocks, before I turned off of that street, as they continued.
To me, this was pretty clear evidence of an impaired driver. The veering was so consistent that it seemed more likely to be intoxication than texting or poor vision.
I imagined calling the police to give them the plate number and approximate location, but knowing that plenty of people get on and off that street at every light, and that I rarely see patrol cars in that area without a specific cause, I didn't think that it would accomplish anything.
I imagined staying behind that car - but to do what?
And so I did nothing, which isn't my usual approach to problems in a public space. Maybe it was just because I was very tired, from giving 3 shiurim that day, and writing up another 2 shiurim. But it's been bothering me. So my question is: What would you have done? What should I have done?
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
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I was once at a shul function and watched a particular person guzzle back several shots of shnapps and then pull out his car keys. A friend of mine asked me "What should we do?" so I approached him and told him he shouldn't drive and that some of us would give him cab fare. After he retorted with a round of verbal abuse I followed him to his car, took his plate number and called the police. They said they would probably do nothing about it because by the time they could he'd already be home and they would have no proof he'd driven drunk. To this day the guy won't speak to me but I wear that as a badge of pride.
ReplyDeleteThink of it this way: lets say the next morning you saw a headline in the paper about a little girl who was struck by that car around the time you saw him turn off. Would you still be wondering?
I am not sure what you can do when you are on the road as you described. If you were able to get the plate number, you could report it to the police when you arrived at the destination. If the driver were involved in some kind of hit-and-run either before or after you saw him or her, the plate information could at least be used to apprehend the driver.
ReplyDeleteIn Ontario the cops have a number to call if you suspect an impaired driver.
DeleteNot so sure that I agree with you that the police would not be able to do anything about it. I say call it in. I wouldnt either worry about using your cell phone while driving cuz its a short call and probably within the bounds of the law given the circumstances.
ReplyDeleteSo, you are suggesting that someone deal with the danger of an impaired driver by doing something equally dangerous.
DeleteYes, it MAY be a short call - or it ay not be. And even if it is, it's enough, especially with a tired driver at night - to cause an accident.
Why don't you ask your local police rather than the blogosphere. That way you will know what to do next time.
ReplyDeleteM-
ReplyDeleteיישר כחך, but the case of doing it before he's driving is, I think, more straightforward than the case when you are in another car on the road.
Garnel-
What's the number?
Anonymous, Mike S.-
See here.
you should call the police and report it. the fact that the police may or may not catch the driver (or even try) is not relevant to you as an observing citizen in that situation.
ReplyDeleteSee my link in the comment above.
DeleteWhat is your underlying question here? Is it "How could I have reported this without breaking the law or endangering others by using my phone while driving?" Or is it "Why did I let being tired change the way I'd normally respond to this situation?" Or is it "Is it pointless to call the police to report a crime if you don't think there's a policeman close enough by to catch the criminal in the act?" Or is it something else? I'm just not sure exactly what question you're asking us to answer here.
ReplyDeletebratschegirl-
DeleteI suppose that of the two questions with which I closed the post, the one I am really asking is "What would you have done?"
I would have called 911, using my phone's hands-free capability. I do that regularly when I see someone driving unsafely; as a musician I spend a great deal more time than I'd like to on the road, and I see some pretty astonishing things.
DeleteThere may not be an officer in the vicinity who can do anything about it, but there may be one up the road who will be alerted that the impaired driver is coming his way. The police use citizens' reports as one tool to help them decide where they need to direct their manpower and resources. They depend on the rest of us to let them know what's happening precisely because they can't be everywhere at once. Maybe that neighborhood needs patrols stepped up at that hour. Maybe the police need evidence to present to the city government to back up their request for hiring additional personnel, or increasing the overtime budget. Just because you don't think your call will guarantee that that driver will be apprehended on that occasion doesn't mean no good of any kind will come of it.
I had a similar experience in Thornhill. We came upon a stopped car on a side street. The driver (obviously intoxicated) was speaking to a woman walking her dog.
ReplyDeleteWhen he started driving again I called 911 and followed the car on Steeles until the police caught up and pulled over the driver. I had to make sure the driver posed no danger to other cars, pedestrians or himself.