Super Bowl Sunday is this weekend. Please drive safe.
If you plan to drink alcohol attend a Super Bowl party and consume any other substance that will impair your judgment, please designate a driver.
While out and about, if you see someone behind the wheel who appears to be under the influence of something, call 911.
Suspicious activity includes erratic driving such as weaving, following too close or maybe the person is sitting at a traffic light fast asleep.
It wasn’t Super Bowl party-related, but one night several years ago, I was heading home from a night out with friends when I realized I needed gas or else I wasn’t going to get far. I spied a gas station that was still open. I needed to make a left or a U-Turn at the light up ahead to access it, so I pulled into the left turn pocket and stopped behind a gray luxury car and waited for the light to change. When it did, the car ahead of me didn’t budge. We wound up missing the green and sitting through another cycle.
It was late, I was alone. I didn’t know what was going on with the solo driver ahead of me. When the next green came, I honked. No response. Reluctantly, I got out of my car and walked to the car ahead. The older gent’s head was against the head rest and his eyes were closed. I banged on his window. No response. I tried to open his car door, it was locked.
That’s when I called 911. I drove around the car and made may way to the gas station, pumped my gas and waited for law enforcement. A sheriff’s deputy arrived and after much effort, was able to wake the man. The officer had the driver pull into to an adjacent parking lot and took him through the DUI field test. Knowing that this man was in good hands, I didn’t stay long enough to see if he was arrested or it was determined he had a medical emergency or other condition to cause him to be lifeless at the stop light.
Anyway, back to super Bowls. If you are hosting a Super Bowl party and have friends over, please help your friends make a plan for getting home safely. Perhaps, keep a list of phone numbers for taxi cab companies handy. You also can invite friends to stay as long as it takes for them to sober up enough to drive themselves home. That could take several hours depending on how much alcohol they drank.
DUIs are costly, as you face jail time, fines, attorney fees, increased of car insurance premiums, the loss of your license and perhaps the loss of employment.
Learn more about DUI from the DMV at http://www.dmv.ca.gov/dl/driversafety/dsalcohol.htm.
Information about your legal rights if you are arrested on suspicion of DUI from Nolo at http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/free-books/beat-ticket-book/chapter8-9.html.
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