The law doesn’t like drunk drivers because once drunk, a person’s sensory communications ability and information processing ability becomes impaired due to a slowing down of the nervous system. When this happens, a person becomes slower to react and may not be able to make certain decisions effectively which can result in accidents.
One thing to note about being an impaired driver in Toronto is that you don’t have to be drunk to be legally classified as impaired. Someone may look like a drunk driver without having consumed a lot of alcohol. Below are the common tell-tale signs of a drunk driver from Toronto DUI lawyer Calvin Barry.
Driving A Lot Slower Than Normal
Police tend to flag slow-moving vehicles because it can be a sign of someone who is in danger or someone who might be having trouble driving. Some slow drivers are people with impaired visual function or could be elderly people who are having difficulty controlling the vehicle. In some cases, a slow-moving vehicle could be driven by a drunk driver who is trying to limit their speed to not get into any trouble.
Weaving, Swerving, Or Crossing Traffic Lines
It is not easy to control a motor vehicle when someone is drunk. When a driver is impaired, it will be difficult to stay within lanes and the tendency is to zigzag or swerve. An impaired driver might also make wide turns. This is called erratic driving and will usually result in police pulling over the driver to be given a sobriety test.
Breaking Abruptly
Since impaired drivers usually have a slower reaction time, they tend to slam on their brakes when they realize that they might be near a red light or could be coming into incoming traffic. Taking a sudden break can also mean that the driver might be having trouble controlling the wheels or the vehicle. The police generally tend to be suspicious of drivers who break abruptly and will want to investigate what is the cause of the sudden break.
Not Following Traffic Laws, Signals, and Signs
Although some drivers ignore certain traffic laws and signs such as running through a red light for an adrenaline rush, impaired drivers are more likely to engage in behaviour like this. Statistics show that illegal passing, driving the other way down a one-way street, speeding, committing moving violations, and ignoring cross traffic are more common for drunk drivers. The reason for this is that being drunk impacts someone’s multitasking skills, visual functioning, and rational thinking. Therefore, people who commit these things are usually investigated for a DUI.
Tailgating Another Vehicle
A lot of impaired drivers are fully aware that their impairment has compromised their ability to drive and will try to compensate for this by copying the movements of the vehicle in front of them. Oftentimes, they may also have difficulty maintaining a certain distance from the next vehicle which can make it look like they’re following too close for comfort. This is called tailgating which is suspicious on its own and can also be seen in drivers who are impaired.
Note that the above tale-tell signs are closely followed by the police. They will usually stop you if you were engaging in the behaviours above to check if you’re impaired. In the event that you are charged with a DUI, note that the police do not need a witness to collaborate drunk driving; hence, it might be difficult to prove if you are innocent. Your first line of DUI defence is to make sure that you consult with a DUI lawyer to avoid any DUI defence mistakes.
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