# Driver Flees Police. I'm a Passenger. What Should I Do? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 18, 2008, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-flees-police-im-a-passenger-what-should-i-do/434011 "2008-01-18T14:01:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-flees-police-im-a-passenger-what-should-i-do/434011/21 "2008-01-19T01:18:39Z")
[QUOTE=gazpacho] My old roommate in grad school found out what not to do in this sort of situation. He was with a girl and they were driving back home one night and she hit a stopped car and then drove off. After about 5 minutes she told my roommate to drive home. So naturally they got pulled over as soon as he started driving. [/QUOTE] He would have had a hard time beating a charge of “Aggravated stupidity”. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-flees-police-im-a-passenger-what-should-i-do/434011/22 "2008-01-19T01:21:57Z")
[QUOTE=Xema] He would have had a hard time beating a charge of “Aggravated stupidity”. [/QUOTE] He lucked out when the DA didn’t think it worth his time to pursue that charge. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-flees-police-im-a-passenger-what-should-i-do/434011/23 "2008-01-19T01:36:39Z")
How about pulling out a cellphone, calling 911, and saying you’re in this car they’re chasing as a passenger, and what can you do? It would certainly be good evidence for you, assuming that the friend can’t reach out and do something stupid. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-flees-police-im-a-passenger-what-should-i-do/434011/24 "2008-01-19T04:43:19Z")
[QUOTE=Triskadecamus] Never heard a thing about it. [/QUOTE] Of course you didn’t and neither did the family of the suddenly “missing” driver. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-flees-police-im-a-passenger-what-should-i-do/434011/25 "2008-01-19T04:59:31Z")
[QUOTE=don’t ask] Of course you didn’t and neither did the family of the suddenly “missing” driver. [/QUOTE] Dare I ask what you’re implying? ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-flees-police-im-a-passenger-what-should-i-do/434011/26 "2008-01-19T05:24:33Z")
I’m not sure that doing nothing is the best strategy, although admit that it could be. High speed chases sometimes lead to accidents. You could be injured, or worse, killed. As the passenger, would it be considered self-defense if you incapacitated the driver with a strategic chop to the throat? Or is there a better self-defense strategy? ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-flees-police-im-a-passenger-what-should-i-do/434011/27 "2008-01-19T05:34:48Z")
In a high-speed chase, would it be advisable to attack the driver? ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-flees-police-im-a-passenger-what-should-i-do/434011/28 "2008-01-19T05:47:31Z")
[QUOTE=Rysto] In a high-speed chase, would it be advisable to attack the driver? [/QUOTE] I considered a chop to the throat to be the easiest and most likely attack to succeed. Ideally, you would incapacitate the driver, but the only method I can think of (quickly trying to remove the throat) seems excessive. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2008, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-flees-police-im-a-passenger-what-should-i-do/434011/29 "2008-01-19T06:09:12Z")
I won’t get in a car with anybody that stupid. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driver-flees-police-im-a-passenger-what-should-i-do/434011.md?page=1)