The busy holiday season is fast approaching. From Thanksgiving until well into the New Year, the number of drivers on Los Angeles area roadways will surely increase. While traffic is already a serious problem, things will become even worse as motorists will be traveling to spend time with their family and friends. From holiday parties at the office to Thanksgiving dinner, there is seemingly always something going on.
At many of these events, people will be drinking. Most people will be drinking responsibly – that is, if they are driving, they will be sure that they have a way of getting home without getting behind the wheel. They will appoint a designated driver or use a ride-sharing service to avoid being involved in a serious drunk driving accident.
Unfortunately, there are some motorists who fail to plan ahead, and decide that they are fine to drive. They may not realize that they are impaired, and their judgment may be seriously impacted when behind the wheel. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) has announced an extensive impaired driving campaign aimed at reducing the number of drunk drivers this holiday season.
Officers with the CHP will be conducting DUI checkpoints and will increase patrols in some of the most dangerous roadways throughout the holidays. While this can help you reduce the chance of being injured by a drunk driver, there still are things that you can do to prevent an accident from happening.
Impaired drivers may have problems staying in their lane. If you see a driver weaving back and forth, try to avoid being close to his or her vehicle. These drivers often have extremely slow reaction times, and they may not see you trying to pass until it is too late. They could try to overcorrect their vehicles and end up causing a serious accident.
Some drivers may even drive the wrong way down a one-way street or highway onramp. This often catches other motorists by surprise, and you need to know what to do should you encounter one of these impaired drivers. Pull over as far as possible and allow these drivers to pass, and then report the driver to police.
Gather as much information as possible about the vehicle and call 911 when it is safe to do so. If you believe that the driver is impaired, be sure that you report this as well so that police know exactly what to look for when tracking the driver down.
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