Know the Road with the CHP: What do I do if I see a DUI driver?

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- An ABC30 viewer sent in the following question: what do I do if I see a DUI driver?

"So if you see a DUI driver or somebody is driving radically who you think may be impaired, pick up your phone and dial 911," said Sgt. Brian Pennings with the California Highway Patrol. Some people will call a non-emergency police number when they see a suspected DUI driver, but Pennings insists it's an emergency situation.

"Let us know where they are, the location, your direction of travel, the lanes, your observation as far as what made you think that they're impaired: maybe it's straddling, driving on the shoulder, driving too slow, driving too fast," he said.

"We do not expect you to follow the vehicle, we do not want you to put yourself in harm's way. But it is helpful information for you to give us your observations so that we can take the appropriate enforcement action," he said.

The CHP also has access to an airplane they can use for DUI enforcement. "It can hone in directly on that location, and potentially find the vehicle and keep eyes on that vehicle until an officer can get in position to stop," he said.

Bottom line: if you see a driver you think may be driving drunk, call 911.

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