[mmcbeat]

I’m not an LEO but I enjoy reading this forum and rarely post in it. First, I have never gotten a DUI and can say I’m confident I never will. I read a lot. In the novels I read one thing keeps popping up. It seems the drunks who get the DUI’s seem to get them because they know they are over the limit and shouldn’t be driving so they drive extra careful. Slow, in the lane, turn signals, etc. Just curious. Any truth to this?

 

[Sam Spade]

Some. Alcohol is a CNS depressant, and at some dosages it tends to just slow people down. NHTSA has studied driving behaviors and come up with a series of mistakes that are correlated to driving under the influence, and your example is one of them.

 

[JohnnyReb]

https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/808677.pdf

See pages 4 and 5. NHSTA breaks down driving clues and percentages.

 

[larry_minn]

People are different. Some try to drive super careful. Ride brake. They try to stay exactly in center of lane. Others are all over the road. Either draws attention.

 

[Lowcountry_Glocker]

most dui arrests (at least mine) are not your drunks. they are your weekend warriors or seldom drinkers. all over road, cause absurd wrecks, just painfully drunk, and it is obvious. whereas your daily drinkers, they are not going to drive like that. they're usually not exhibiting bad driving until north of the .25% range. whereas your less "experienced" per se, are driving like CRAP as low as .12%.

I have had best luck with turn signals (not not using them as you'd expect... but leaving the damn thing on for a mile) and needless lane changes. left to right to left. inconsistent speed is another great indicator. and yes @larry_minn is correct nothing screams "this person is hiding something" more than hands at 10 + 2, the world's most gentle acceleration to precisely the posted speed limit, blinker etiquette that would make a trooper get an erection, gently applying brakes, etc. the fact is, no one really drives like that. when they have nothing to hide, at least.

 

[peng]

What you think you're doing when drunk does not appear that way to people who are not.

What you think is slow and careful speech means slurring.

What you think is careful is seriously dulled reaction times.

What you think is funny is mostly annoying and dumb.

But, it makes chicks look hotter so just give up the keys and it's OK.

You might wake up and want to chew your arm off, but at least you'll wake up and not hurt anyone else in the process..

 

[cadillacguns]

You can usually tell, I have seen extra cautious to stopping under the traffic light.
Passed out with a Big Mac in his hand under the stop light one of my favorites.

 

[John_AZ]

Yeah… they might think they’re driving extra careful. But they’re not.

language warning

 

[marchboom]

People who are really intoxicated know they are and they drive what they think is "more carefully". But there are other ways to spot them.

Then there is the person who thinks, "I'm not "drunk", I can drive with no problem. These are the people who blow .06-.12% BAC.

 

[bruscifer]

If I am driving and there are two streets in my vision, I just close one eye and I am fine. JK 😂

 

[Sechott]

most dui arrests (at least mine) are not your drunks. they are your weekend warriors or seldom drinkers. all over road, cause absurd wrecks, just painfully drunk, and it is obvious. whereas your daily drinkers, they are not going to drive like that. they're usually not exhibiting bad driving until north of the .25% range. whereas your less "experienced" per se, are driving like CRAP as low as .12%.

I have had best luck with turn signals (not not using them as you'd expect... but leaving the damn thing on for a mile) and needless lane changes. left to right to left. inconsistent speed is another great indicator. and yes @larry_minn is correct nothing screams "this person is hiding something" more than hands at 10 + 2, the world's most gentle acceleration to precisely the posted speed limit, blinker etiquette that would make a trooper get an erection, gently applying brakes, etc. the fact is, no one really drives like that. when they have nothing to hide, at least.

I agree. My wife wanted to go out on St Patty’s to eat. I said there will be too many drunks on the road. She said there is always drunks on the road. I said those are professional drunks, it’s the occasional drunks that get people killed.

 

[Biggfoot44.5]

What you think is funny is mostly annoying and dumb.

But that's all the time , not only if I have a drink .

 

[Bren]

I’m not an LEO but I enjoy reading this forum and rarely post in it. First, I have never gotten a DUI and can say I’m confident I never will. I read a lot. In the novels I read one thing keeps popping up. It seems the drunks who get the DUI’s seem to get them because they know they are over the limit and shouldn’t be driving so they drive extra careful. Slow, in the lane, turn signals, etc. Just curious. Any truth to this?

Sure. I used to catch many that way. They get your attention by driving too slow and carefully, or trying to, so you follow them for a couple of minutes until they screw up. For the same reason, it is common to stop people on Friday and Saturday night who aren't drunk, but are showing the signs because they are just old or are lost and trying to find something.

 

[Biggfoot44.5]

But I commonly drive the speed limit all the time .

 

[GPalmer]

...and yes @larry_minn is correct nothing screams "this person is hiding something" more than hands at 10 + 2, the world's most gentle acceleration to precisely the posted speed limit, blinker etiquette that would make a trooper get an erection, gently applying brakes, etc. the fact is, no one really drives like that. when they have nothing to hide, at least.

Hehe, I quite often drive that way depending on my mood. Add in politely slowing to allow others to get in front of me and a host of other etiquette-based transgressions and you're gonna be all over me. There are just times when I am ultimately chilled out, and it shows in my driving.

 

[selogic]

LEO are tuned in to the little things . Failure to dim your lights is a big one believe it or not . My wife was coming home from work very late one night . She passed a Deputy sitting in the median . He pulled out and followed her for a mile or so and then lit her up . She asked him why he stopped her and he said " You were slow to dim your lights " . Ok , whatever maybe so . She said he walked back to his unit then when he came back he stopped and shined his light on the decal on her back window . " Deputy Sheriff's Mom " . Everything changed at that point . She got the VIP treatment ....

 

[Lowcountry_Glocker]

LEO are tuned in to the little things . Failure to dim your lights is a big one believe it or not . My wife was coming home from work very late one night . She passed a Deputy sitting in the median . He pulled out and followed her for a mile or so and then lit her up . She asked him why he stopped her and he said " You were slow to dim your lights " . Ok , whatever maybe so . She said he walked back to his unit then when he came back he stopped and shined his light on the decal on her back window . " Deputy Sheriff's Mom " . Everything changed at that point . She got the VIP treatment ....

Good one... and one I forgot... many a drunk has been nabbed by them either failing to dim, or over-doing the switch and then getting stuck in this weird limbo where they're flashing you repeatedly trying to get them off

 

[selogic]

Driving with your headlights off at night is a sure way to get attention from the PD .

 

[Dragoon44]

My most memorable DUI stop was a guy doing the typical driving well below the speed limit and weaving slightly.when I pulled him over I said,

”sir, step out of the car”
Driver: No
Me: sir, step out of the vehicle now!
Driver: No
Me: sir do you have a physical or medical issue that prevents you from exiting your car?
Driver: No
Me: then why won’t you exit the vehicle?
Driver: because I am to damn drunk to stand up.

😎😂😂

 

[G26-Has-my-6]

OP, this is patently false. Johnny Fever clearly demonstrated that reaction times improve as the BAC increases...