How To Stop A Drunk Driver In Their Tracks

Have you ever been in a situation where you have to stop someone from driving drunk? You might have been out for a few drinks with friends or at a house party, and although you’ve been having a great time up until that moment, things go downhill fast when someone picks up their keys and wants to drink and drive. With the potential for a driving under the influence (DUI) charge or crash, you know you have to step in and stop them, but you might not be quite sure how to do it.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving has some steps to stop a drunk driver, and with St.Patrick’s Day right around the corner, there’s never been a better time to share them. Here’s how to stop a drunk driver:

Start your evening off by designating a sober driver

Don’t want a confrontation or worry about who is driving at the end of the night? Designate a sober driver before anyone drinks and you won’t have to worry about taking away the keys.

Always be non-confrontational

Alcohol has a way of fueling anger in some people, so you don’t want to be confrontational when you’re trying to stop them from drunk driving. Simply ask for their keys, speak to the person quietly, and walk away if possible.

Explain why you’re asking

The person you’re talking to is impaired, and that means they probably won’t follow a conversation as quickly as they normally would. Speak to them slowly, clearly, and explain you don’t want them to hurt themselves or potentially crash into others.

Suggest an alternative

There are a lot of different ways to get home after a night of drinking. Call a cab and have it arrive before you confront the person intending to drive, ask a sober friend to drive you all home with the vehicle, or hop a bus if one is available.

Contact the police

It might be the last step you’d like to take, but if someone is insisting they drive drunk, you may want to call the police. Although your friend will likely be arrested, it’s a far better option than potentially killing themselves or someone else in a drunk driving crash.

Stopping someone from driving drunk is the smart, responsible thing to do. If you’d like more information on drunk driving statistics you can share if you need to stop a drunk driver, take a look at MADD.org.