When you are driving along Tennessee roadways, you may take the precautions necessary to ensure you are not endangering your life or anyone else’s on the road. Unfortunately, you are still at risk of becoming involved in a fatal car accident due to the negligence of other drivers on the road. Drunk drivers in particular can pose a serious threat to your safety. In 2013 alone, drunk drivers took the lives of more than 10,000 people and injured an additional 290,000 people, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving. You may be able to avoid a drunk driving accident, however, by being able to identify the key signs of an intoxicated motorist.

MADD reported that people operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol often display similar driving characteristics. Drunk drivers may have trouble staying within their lane of traffic, and can be seen weaving in and out of lanes or even driving down the center of two lanes. In addition, intoxicated motorists may do the following:

  •          Brake suddenly and sometimes, without cause
  •          Follow too closely behind other vehicles
  •          Drive over or under the speed limit

Drunk motorists may exhibit careless driving behaviors as well, such as not turning on their headlights when driving at night or forgetting to turn off their turn signal. They may make sudden turns, illegal maneuvers or continually switch lanes in an abrupt manner. If you should spot a person who is driving erratically, you may want to attempt to get their license plate number and call the authorities. Doing so may just save someone’s life.

This information is only intended to educate and should not be taken as legal advice.