So, there’s this salesman at the company where I work. A couple of weeks ago he had a few too many, wrecked his car (over $3000 damage) and was arrested for DUI (his second). As part of his sentence, the judge told him that he did not want to see this guy on as much as a bicycle for 121 days. How do we know this? The salesman DROVE TO WORK THE NEXT DAY!!
This kind of stuff really burns me up. He’s the type of guy that, if he were to get caught and jailed, would complain about how the police should be out catching drug dealers and baby killers instead of arresting “hard working” people like himself.
I am so tempted to call the police, but what’s the use?
The use is that if you call the cops on him, they may prevent him from driving while intoxicated and save some one else’s life.
Yeah, it’s uncomfortable being a tattletale, but I’d rather that than have to wonder "what if I’d only . . . " after you hear that he’s been in another wreck, only this time, he killed someone.
Send an anonymous letter to the cops letting them know that this prick is endangering lives. Put a copy of that letter on his windshield on the day you mail it.
If he doesn’t wise up after that, turn the bastard in/
I will dissent. If you turn him in, his life is ruined.
Yes, he got himself in this jam and it is his responsibility. However, you better be 100% sure that this guy is a threat to society before you put his family on the streets. Unless he is posing an imminent danger to himself or others, you are creating a lot of damage for a very big “maybe”.
It is one thing to try to save other people from harm,; it is another to actively destroy someone because they possibly, maybe be a danger.
By any chance, do you personally dislike this individual? IT would be a shame to use this unfortunate situation to work out a personal vendetta.
Mojo is onto something. I would leave a note on the windshield saying “I’m gonna rat you out and send you up the river if I see you drive this car after today.” That way, you’ll be able to sleep soundly, and he gets his chance to correct his behavior without you calling the cops.
While normally I’m all for the code of silence (and trust me here, I’m a college student-we’re better at this then the Sicillian Mafia) this is an exception.
If this guy is driving drunk, and disregarding the specific orders of the judge he should be at least warned, and then turned in. I have little sympathy for someone who would drive drunk.
Maybe he’s neither. Maybe he’s just a fucking asshole who thinks it’s okay to endanger other people and is unwilling to suffer a little inconvenience when caught.
Anybody can make a mistake, but the fact that this guy has 2 DUIs seems to indicate a certain tendency towards recidivism. Personally I’d combine the warning and the narcing a la Mojo’s suggestion. Drop a note to the police and, the same day, put a note on the guy’s car telling him you had done so.
If you find youreslf feeling guilty afterwards, maybe you could follow up by offering to let him carpool to and from work with you. That would be a nice thing to do, and it would help the guy do the right thing.
Let us know what you decide and how it turns out, okay?
Sorry, Mr. Z. One DUI might be explained away.
Two is a pattern of antisocial conduct. He should bear the consequences of having screwed up repeatedly. He doesn’t get to continually externalize the costs associated with his behavior. May I suggest that if he has gotten caught driving drunk twice, there is at least a chance he may have driven drunk and not gotten caught additional times.
I think the legal limit may be a little low, and I understand there may be extenuating circumstances. But I don’t get to choose which laws I follow and which I don’t. If I choose to disregard a law, I agree to be subject to enforcement.
-Speed, run the risk of getting a ticket.
-DUI, get your name in the paper, incur legal bills, lose your license (not to mention implications if you injure someone else).
-Grow pot in the basement, possibly lose your house.
-Pick up a hooker who is actually an undercover cop, there goes the family station wagon (ain’t asset forfeiture grand!)
-Shoot my boss, probable prison term (unless the jury knows my boss!)
Knowing what’s at stake, place your bets.
Umm… second DUI. And you’re wondering if you should do something? Hell yes! I don’t know where you are, but there must be some form of public transportation there; at least cabs or car service and it’s only for 4 months. I don’t see this as a great hardship for him.
I don’t understand Mr.Zambezi’s logic. This is not his first DUI. The man is a danger. Would you wait until he has actually harmed some one? That is the only way I can think of that you can be 100% sure he is threat.
I like Mojo suggestion. I think you should follow it.
Agreed, after two DUI’s the guy should know better. I knew a guy once who was a successfull salesman. HE got busted twice in Denver, both times with a .06 BAC. Because it was as second offense, he lost his license for 6 months. Then he lost his job, then he lost his apartment. LAst I knew, he was working as a clerk in a furniture store at teh age of 49. It ruined his life.
I don’t agree with the BAC levels set in the state, but if you livelihood depends on your car, well, you know the risk and you take it. But that is a different issue.
The question is whether it is our job to enforce the laws of the state. Personally, I would not turn him in unless I knew he was about the actually drive drunk.
I wouldn’t want to have it on my consciense. Life will teach him his lesson soon enough without interference.
Well, morally speaking, I think it is, at least to some degree. We are all citizens of this democracy, and at least morally, we should reserve the right to police each other. Obviously, we will all draw the line in a different place regarding how likely the commission of a crime is and when we report it.
Unfortunately, if we wait for “life” to teach him that lesson, it may involve him, say, killing someone else in a wreck. I don’t think you want that, and I know I don’t.
FTR, I do agree that all the recent legislative activity over lowering BAC levels to 0.08 and lower is an affront to reason.
Unfortunately, you may learn the lesson that you should stop a drunk driver before something bad happens. I sincerely hope you don’t find that one out the hard way.
I guess I am drawing the distinction between “might commit a crime”, “probably will commit a crime” and “is about to commit a crime.” We do have a duty as citizens, and I will be the first one to call the police if I were to see the neighbor hitting his wife.
It is a fuzzy line and we all have our own barometer. But I think this falls under “might commit a crime.” (I know, he is breaking the law simply by driving, but as long as he is sober, there is no real danger. I am talking specifically about him drinking while driving again.)
A lot of this depends on the salesman. I don’t know him and might take different action if I had more information. Right now I am weighing this guy driving to work against judges orders against him losing his job and all of the fallout from that.
I hate referring to my cadet life all the time, because I know I sound pretentious as hell when I do it. Still, I insist on it because I feel that people who read this should know exactly where I am coming from. Here goes…
At my school there is an honor code that a cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those that do. While you are not held accountable to a code that would make your not telling an honor offense, there is one thing that you should keep in mind.
There are times here when rank can interfere with friendships. As a ranking cadet, there have been times when I have been asked to look the other way so that a friend of mine may sneak by. Sometimes there is no problem with it, but at other times, the stakes can be very high. An example would be, if I have the Leave Sign Out Log in my posession, a friend of mine who is being denied leave by a higher power may try and sign out with me, even though it is BOTH of our asses if he gets caught. I refuse to let him sign out, and he pulls the “Hey man, we are friends, why won’t you do me this favor?” I am quick to respond, “If you were my friend, you would not expect me to break the rule and risk my honor for your irresponsibility.” That is usually enough to make him shut up and accept his fate of no leave.
Your situation is similar in that you are being torn by two instincts: your duty as a citizen to report him, and your respect for his privacy to leave him be. The question you need to acknowledge is this: Who started it?
Who was the “attacker” in this case, as in my situation it was the other cadet. Who got drunk? Who got busted? Who recieved a sentence they are obligated to follow? And who is risking lives?
You should feel no guilt by taking action, as your co-worker revoked his privilege of sympathy when he broke the terms of the order.
Occam is right. Never rat someone out, especially something like that, because I’ll bet everyone on this board has driven home at one time or another when they’ve had too much to drink.