Sometimes, you have to look past our national no-snitching policy and report a driver who is endangering themselves and others on the road. Where do you draw the line?
Over the weekend, I was driving east on a pretty dead four-lane divided highway through Binghamton, New York, at around 2:30 a.m. in a Ford Mustang RTR press loaner. The road was mostly clear, but there are two things you always have to look out for when driving in that area late at night.
1. Deer and other wildlife.
2. State troopers and sheriff’s deputies.
The latter of which is very important when you’re behind the wheel of a 700-horsepower Mustang that’s constantly begging you to make it the deliverer of your inevitable license suspension.
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But there was a third danger that I was quickly reminded of that posed a real, dangerous risk on the road: drunk drivers.
As I was cruising down the highway, I came upon this Nissan Rogue that was all over the road. Luckily, aside from me and my buddy in the RTR, there was barely any other traffic.
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The Rogue swayed within its lane for the most part, but whenever a major curve would come up, it would swing far onto the shoulder, toward the guard rail, or into the other lane.
I felt like I was watching a “Drive sober or get pulled over” public service announcement. A crash seemed inevitable. I couldn’t help but follow the Rogue to see if their erratic driving patterns continued.
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They did.
After around 10 miles or so of this, we passed a sheriff sitting in the median. The cop didn’t pull out—we were on a straight stretch of road and the driving didn’t look erratic. But I decided to call 911 and report the driver, for their safety and for whoever else they might’ve encountered further down the road after I got off.
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After giving a description to a dispatcher and staying on the line, the sheriff came flying up around me, trailed the Rogue for about a mile as it continued to sway around the road, and then pulled the driver over.
Personally, I wouldn’t want to wish a driving under the influence charge on a stranger, as it can have serious consequences beyond just a fine, a license suspension and losing the ability to go to Canada. But at the same time, this driver easily could’ve severely injured themselves or others at any moment.
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So, that’s my story. I’m happy I made the call, but I do feel a little bad about it. I shouldn’t. I know it was the right thing, but, you know what I mean?
Anyways, have you had to report a driver recently? Maybe someone was all over the road? Or for something extremely reckless? Mattress tied down poorly on roof? Road rage? They put an M badge on a 328i?
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