Washington – Driving home one night, Caroline Cash spotted a black Honda swaying in and out of its lane on a busy interstate in suburban Washington.
Cash was concerned that the driver might be drunk. So she used a tactic being pushed by many states – she picked up her cellphone and dialed 911.
“The public is starting to understand … the tragedies that can occur if no one reports that person,” said Cash, executive director of the Maryland and Delaware chapters of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. “There is no way that law enforcement can do it alone.”
States are using highway message boards, road signs and public-awareness campaigns to encourage motorists to dial 911 on their cellphones if they come across people who might be driving drunk.
The messages are expected to be used this weekend to guard against impaired driving tied to Super Bowl parties.
In California, law enforcement started a campaign last fall after noting an increase in drunken-driving deaths. The state has relayed the message on overhead freeway signs and near rest stops.
Motorists can call in anonymously and are asked to describe the vehicle – its license plate, make and model and color – along with its location. Some states also have cellphone hotlines to state law enforcement.
Authorities say they use the tips but are required to make their own assessment before pulling someone over. They recommend that motorists pull over before calling, but it typically falls under the emergency exception in states banning the use of handheld phones while driving.
Delaware recently placed a dozen signs along state roads. The program was modeled after one in Colorado, where motorists have been instructed to dial *CSP – contacting the Colorado State Patrol – to report roadway problems.
“Our feeling is better safe than sorry. If the person does turn out to be impaired, you just possibly saved someone’s life by telling police,” said Andrea Summers, a community-relations officer with Delaware’s Office of Highway Safety.
