It’s difficult to know which motorists are causing you particular risk for injury at a given time on a Pennsylvania roadway. That’s because hidden dangers often lurk unseen. The driver next to you may look perfectly fine until he or she suddenly veers over into your lane, slamming into the side of your vehicle. Sometimes, you can spot signs that suggest a certain driver may be intoxicated or otherwise distracted behind the wheel. Safely distancing yourself from suspicious drivers is usually a good idea.
Do you know a drunk driver when you see one? Some people are able to function at fairly high levels of agility and cognitive skill when intoxicated so it’s not always easy to tell if they’re drunk. However, while driving, if you keep a lookout for certain suspicious behaviors, it may help you avert an accident.
Common signs of driver intoxication
The following list includes various red flag signals that you may be sharing the road with a drunk driver. If so, you may have to make some quick decisions, including where to turn for help if needed.
- Any car traveling at night without headlights turned on is a definite cause for concern. Drunk drivers often forget to turn on their lights when leaving bars or parties.
- If a nearby car keeps veering over the yellow line into your lane, you may want to stay as far away as is safely possible. Many motorists take the nearest exit and call police to report the license numbers of the straying vehicles so authorities can send an officer to check things out.
- Drunk drivers often have trouble keeping with the traffic flow. They either driver way too fast or far too slowly in conjunction with posted speed limits. If you witness a driver acting this way, he or she may be intoxicated.
- Brake lights that keep coming on in situations where braking is not necessary is also a sign that you may be sharing the road with a drunk driver.
Sometimes, it’s possible to spot a potential problem and avert a collision. Other times, you may be driving along to work or home from a date one moment and lying in the back of an ambulance on your way to a shock trauma center the next. Drunk drivers are menaces to Pennsylvania roadways and can cause you suffering that lasts long after the initial impact of a car accident. That’s why the law allows you to pursue justice against any drunk driver who causes you injury.
Contact an Easton, PA car accident attorney for more info.
