Drunk driving is something that you would have thought would be under control by now, and to some degree it is getting better (depending on where you live).
However, drunk driving is still a serious problem that we all encounter on a daily basis.
In the area where I live, it is not uncommon to see the police officers conducting traffic stops late at night.
If this is the case, as you approach the traffic stop, to speed things along, make sure that you have your driver's license ready and out for the police officer as well as your vehicle registration within reach (just in case they ask for this).
At most traffic stops, the only thing that the police officer will ask you for is your driver's license.
In the meantime, because traffic stops involve several officers, while the one officer is checking your driver's license, another police officer will usually be walking around to the back of your car to check your license plate in order to make sure that your vehicle registration, inspection and insurance are up to date.
Traffic stops are a great way to catch people who are violating the law either by driving around in uninsured vehicles, with revoked and/or suspended licenses or who are driving their vehicles under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
When I was a police officer, there was one incident where I responded to a call that someone had driven their vehicle right off the road.
It was late on a Friday night, so right away, I knew that the person was more than likely intoxicated.
Sure enough, when I arrived on scene, the car was down in a ditch and there were several construction workers standing by with a boy who looked like he was no older than thirteen years old.
One of the construction workers approached me and informed me that when the light turned green, the boy behind the wheel of the car simply drove the vehicle straight through the light onto the dead end street and drove the car right past the dead end sign and into the ditch.
I looked over at the boy and could immediately see the tell tale signs of intoxication.
He was slurring his words to whomever he was on the phone with and was wobbling back and forth on his legs.
I went over to him and asked him if he was OK to which he responded that he was.
While I had been talking to the construction workers, I had overheard the boy telling whoever was on the phone that he was in a certain location which was nowhere near where he was.
Curious, I asked the boy if he knew where he was as I looked down at his driver's license.
As expected, he gave me the names of several locations, none of which were even remotely close to being correct.
As it turned out, this young man was eighteen years of age and a freshman in college.
He had been at a party and told his friends to make sure that he didn't drink.
They failed.
He ended up being arrested not only for drunk driving, but for drunk driving as a minor.
Hopefully, he won't do it again.