Motorists' Eyes Are on Drunk Drivers

By JASON LEOPOLD

Dec. 28, 1998 12 AM PT

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

When Denise Johnson spots someone she believes is a drunk driver weaving in and out of traffic, she does more than simply get out of the way. She picks up her cellular phone and calls the California Highway Patrol.

Johnson, a Costa Mesa resident and salesperson, isn’t alone. The CHP reports that about 50% of the drunk-driving incidents it investigates originate from tips called in from motorists on the road.

As cellular phones become a common car accessory, the devices are emerging as important weapons in the war against drunk drivers, officials say.

“Cell phones are like the eyes and ears of the road when we’re not around,” said CHP Officer Bill Preciado.

“Calls from cell phones reporting impaired drivers are determined to be an emergency for us because [they] can ultimately lead to a traffic collision,” Preciado said. “We’ll send a unit right out.”

Preciado is one of about 30 CHP officers in the Impaired Driver Task Force, a unit of the highway patrol that cruises freeways and unincorporated areas of Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego counties looking for drunk drivers.

But the officers can’t be everywhere, so they rely heavily on tips from motorists.

“One car with two officers can arrest up to nine individuals in one night,” he said. “As soon as [officers] get somebody, it’s back to roving the streets because the booking is handled by someone else. So there’s really no down time.”

In Orange County, the number of accidents and deaths caused by drunk drivers has declined over the last few years. Last year, the CHP reported 2,149 alcohol-related collisions and 49 deaths.

Johnson and others said they take the task of reporting drunk drivers seriously. Johnson said she has called authorities three times in the last year, including once to report a man who nearly smashed his truck into a light pole along the San Diego Freeway.

Reidel Post, head of the Orange County chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, recalls one tense experience on the Riverside Freeway in Anaheim. “There was a driver in the center lane kind of weaving,” she said. “Within 20 minutes he was taking up two lanes and almost hit a van. I called 911 frantic. I was so upset when I got home I was in tears.”

But sometimes, Post takes her activism a step further--actually following and confronting drivers who she believes are intoxicated.

Once, Post said, she followed home a group of teenagers who were driving erratically and gave them a stern lecture on the dangers of drunk driving. “They were very good about it,” Post said. “They said, ‘Hey man, thanks. We won’t drive again tonight.’ ”

CHP officials strongly discourage this practice, which they said can be dangerous. The best thing to do is simply dial 911 and give the operator the location, car make and license number. “Just getting the call is a big help,” Preciado said. “But we’ll handle it from there. Sometimes [following a drunk driver] makes the situation worse.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Drunk Driving

Police are adding patrols and establishing checkpoints to keep drunk drivers off the road during the holidays. What officers watch for:

* Wide turns

* Driving too slow

* Driving with face close to windshield

* Stopping beyond or short of a crosswalk

* Moving in a straight line at a slight angle to the roadway

* Driving with headlights off at night

* Erratic braking or stopping without cause

* Slow response to traffic signals (sudden stop, delayed start)

* Weaving, drifting

* Driving on wrong side of the road

* Tailgating

The DUI Arrest

1. Preliminary Screening: Driver questioned and asked to step out of car. Officer watches for signs of intoxication, including slurred speech, smell of alcohol or an open container of alcohol.

2. Breath Test: Driver asked to breathe into hand-held machine that measures alcohol level of the breath. Test is optional and driver may legally refuse.

3. Field Sobriety Test: Driver asked to perform a series of tests to evaluate balance, coordination, critical thinking and ability to follow simple directions:

4. To Jail: Driver performing poorly is transported to jail and required to submit to further blood, urine or breath tests. Driver may reject blood test in favor of breath or urine testing, if available. Driver held until sober or driven home.

Legal, Financial Consequences

First Offense

Fines: $1,300 to $1,500. Some courts provide option of serving 13 days in jail or performing community service in lieu of fines.

Probation: Three years

Driver’s license: Driver must contact Department of Motor Vehicles within 10 days of arrest to request a stay, otherwise license is suspended pending the outcome of DMV hearing.

Alcohol abuse education: Weekly sessions for three, six or nine months depending on blood-alcohol level. Costs range from $350 to $1,000

Victims panel: Must appear before panel of individuals who have been injured or who have lost a loved one due to drunk driving.

Second Offense

Fines: Same

Jail: Minimum 48-hour jail term (increasing to 96 hours in 1999); may be may be extended to 30 to 90 days.

Probation: Three to five years

Driver’s license: Suspended for one year or restricted for 18 months if driver attends alcohol education program.

Alcohol abuse education: Weekly sessions for 18 months.

Vehicle: Must relinquish vehicle or install an ignition interlock device for one year. Must also install a second interlock device on spouse’s vehicle or any vehicle to which driver has regular access.

Victims panel: Same

Third Offense

Fines: Same

Jail: Minimum 120 days that may be extended to six months or more

Probation: Three to five years

Driver’s license: Revoked for three years

Alcohol-abuse education: Weekly sessions for 18 months.

Vehicle: Same as second offense

Victims panel: Same

Fourth offense

Fines: Same

Jail: Prosecuted as a felony in Orange County. Minimum six months in jail; possible state prison sentence of 16 months to three years.