Many Oklahomans are gearing up for New Year’s Eve, one of the biggest party days of the year. Unfortunately, it’s also a day when the number of drunk drivers increases significantly. There will be many collisions and, sadly, fatalities.
Police often set up DUI checkpoints during the holidays to try to deter drunk driving. However, many intoxicated drivers may still be traveling from party to party or trying to make their way home after imbibing and ringing in the new year. Motorists should be cautious, stay alert and be on the lookout for signs of drunk driving behavior.
Collisions are sometimes avoidable if drunk drivers are spotted
Intoxication typically causes impairments that result in driving errors and erratic behaviors. Learning how to spot these warning signs may help avoid collisions:
- Forgetting to use headlights at night
- Random application of brakes or erratically accelerating then slowing down
- Trouble with turns (turning too wide or not wide enough)
- Difficulty maintaining lane position, swerving or breaching traffic lines
- Tailgating, especially late at night
It’s best to take the nearest exit or drop back in traffic to create distance away from a suspected drunk driver. It is also wise to pull over someplace safe and report a suspected driver to a local police department.
Drunk drivers ruin holidays and devastate families
Sadly, even with precautionary measures, it is not always possible to avoid collisions when drunk drivers are sharing Oklahoma roads. Many families will have their New Year’s celebrations interrupted by devastating news that a loved one has suffered injuries, perhaps fatal, in a drunk driving accident. The legal system cannot erase a family’s grief, but it provides recourse for them to seek justice.
