A couple of weeks ago I ratted out a swerving drunk/impaired driver using a cell phone. I got close enough to read the plate number,called 911, and gave location and so forth.
When the other car turned left at an intersection, I was sill on the call and said so. The 911 operator asked me to follow at a safe distance until a cop got there. I said no and went on to where I was going. I have no idea what the outcome was.
Was I wrong?
This is purely my opinion, but if she asked you to (presumably for his and others’ saftey) and you refused, I’d say yes. There are many exceptions, however - was it impossible for you to, or merely inconvenient?
Did the operator expect you to to stay on the line whilst you followed the drunk driver?
Is that not illegal? I think it might be here in the UK (even if you have a hands-free phone police advice here is still to pull over to make a call).
In fact, did you act illegally when you phoned up to report the driver? You most certainly did the right thing in making the call, but I would be interested to know whether you acted outside the letter of the law by calling whilst you were behind the wheel…
– Quirm
I’m not going to answer for him, but in many parts of the US and Canada (the majority of places, I think) it is still legal to drive whilst talking on a cell phone. However, people are pushing to have laws passed against it.
How do you know the person was drunk? Did you see them drinking in a bar? Swerving doesn’t necessarily indicate being drunk. I have been stopped for swerving before with having any drinks for months beforehand.
But swerving does tend to mean that you are not in control of your vehicle and are therefore a danger to other road-users.
The OP’s point is still valid - all you’d need to do is replace the “swerving drunk/impaired driver” with “swerving ‘not-in-full-control-of-his-vehicle-and-therefore-a-danger-to-other-road-users driver’”.
Whether they were actually drunk is a separate matter - the question is perhaps whether Yojomboguy should have followed when the operator asked…?
This was a judgment call on your part. You did what you thought best. No need to beat youself up.
go ahead, beat yourself up Yojimboguy! But I think you did enough; just fortunate for you that you weren’t going the same direction he/she was.
Off to IMHO.
bibliophage
moderator GQ
How much swerving are we talking about here? All over the road? One or two swerves? Any other signs of intoxication (speeding, going too slow, drifting, etc.)?
I know there are occasions I’ve swerved on the road unintentionally, reaching for something or adjusting something or other. Of course, there is always the sexually induced swerving too. Sometimes you just loose concentration, at least if she does it right. 
Did you not follow the drunk because you thought that you would be asked to give your side of the story, with the drunk guy standing there face-to-face? I’m curious why they would want you to follow the guy.
I said durink/impaired because I wasn’t certain of the drunk part. The impaired part-- swerving back and forth numerous times across the two available lanes, going fairly slow so that people were backed up behind him afraid to pass.
It’s legal in Wisconsin for drivers to use their phones while driving, if not the smartest move.
I didn’t follow for a few reasons; I was going home late at night, and I wasn’t looking for a mystery drive to who knows where; I didn’t want to witness a wreck; and I suppose I didn’t want to get involved in a late night debate over how bad he was driving. The cops had my name to reach me later if they needed to (they haven’t yet). Mostly, I’m nervous being on the same road with an unpredictable driver right in front of me.
If you ask me I think that operator who told you to follow at a “safe distance” was screwed in the head. My stepfather is a cop and he has told me on more than one occasion that there number one priority is to not put civilians in unnecessary danger. What if that guy happened to notice you following him? He could of easily started to chase you down. Some people can get pissed rather easily when they are drunk. Besides thats is what we pay the cops for anyway. right? You did your civil duty in my op.
I agree with the above, it’s too risky following some insane idiot who might make you his target. You did fine. Anyone remember that guy who went out at night driving around & reporting drunk drivers on his phone? I saw him on the news once or twice some years back…