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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Have you ever reported a drink driver? Did anything come of it?

25 replies

focusedmum · 05/04/2016 07:06

I know I ANBU this woman has no consideration for others or her own child's safety.

I have reported her on the crimewatch site but just wondered if they actually do anything about it? AIBU to think that they may only pull her over if her driving is erratic AND she has been reported on their system?

OP posts:

Original poster

focusedmum · 05/04/2016 07:10

The reason I ask about erratic driving is that she has been drinking 3 bottles of wine throughout the day and also smoking weed all day. She has been doing this for years consistently.

I only recently found out and we have fallen out (we were only friends for a year). I would not say she was wobbly drunk all day and although being in the car with her was not a pleasant journey I would not say she was swerving all over the road

OP posts:

PageStillNotFound404 · 05/04/2016 07:16

Yes, alcoholic colleague who was driving to work drunk but it was many years ago and I reported her to the local police station so not sure how the crimewatch system works, I'm afraid.

Well done for doing something about it, OP. I hope some action is taken.

gingerdad · 05/04/2016 07:20

I 999d someone coming off a ferry - had been drinking all the way across. The police picked them up with in 200 yards of the ferry.

scotsgirl64 · 05/04/2016 07:22

I reported driver who had stopped outside our house to have an argument with her boyfriend at 7am on a Sunday morning.. Was obviously drunk and after getting into a verbal altercation with the other 3 people in the car ( obviously on way home from party) she then drove off erratically down the narrow country lanes
I'd noted the number plate and called the police who apprehended her as she drove into town
She was charged with dangerous driving, fined and banned from driving

Original poster

focusedmum · 05/04/2016 07:28

I would not have any idea when she was actually driving or I would call 999 as she would certainly be over the limit whatever time of day.

I assumed that the police number plate recognition would flag her car as a pull over if she drives past them one day but DH says that if she has children in the car he thinks it will be unlikely that they would pull her for a random check on a tip off.

OP posts:

Skittlesss · 05/04/2016 07:30

If you call the police when you see her drink driving then they will send someone out straight away to stop her.

If you report it as you have done then they'll lodge it as intelligence and pick her up when they see her. If you've given tines when she is known to drink drive then the local bobbies might watch out for her.

That's about as much as I can say without either "outing" myself or giving away tactics.

PS I've been known to sit round the corner from a pub after receiving info about a regular drink driver.

PassMeASpanner · 05/04/2016 07:37

Skitless - would children being in the car mean police wouldn't stop her as someone's dh said unthread?

As someone who works in court I know that traffic offences (drink driving, careless driving etc) are considered more serious if children are present so I would think that he is not myself. Obviously I am talking about a low key stop here rather than a car chase!

PassMeASpanner · 05/04/2016 07:38

He is not right I mean!

Original poster

focusedmum · 05/04/2016 08:29

I hope the fact children are involved they will take it more seriously. I have also given them info on the dealer. On the crimestopper website it says they had 6000 reports last year and of that 1,226 actions were taken by police and only 244 arrest were made.

Short of stalking her I can't do much more so just hope no-one gets hurt.

OP posts:

MouthyMoo · 05/04/2016 08:35

Yes. I reported one again and again and again.

They did precisely fuck all.

I told them the pub, the car, the person, the time and the day.

I told them at the time and in advance.

They said they can't do anything about it unless they happen to have a car there at the time.

What the fuck? PUT A CAR THERE AT THE TIME.

I told them repeatedly.

I've given up now, she'll just have to cause an accident instead. I just hope she doesn't end up killing a child or one of her own children.

wasonthelist · 05/04/2016 09:02

Yes I have. Don't know if anything came of it.

dottycat123 · 05/04/2016 09:53

I have tried to report a man who I was seeing in a professional capacity(mental health nurse) who was drink driving every day. Told unless the police happened to be at the pub he went to they would do nothing unless I was prepared to go to the pub, witness him drinking then report him as he left and got into his car. My working day wouldn't allow for that !

RebootYourEngine · 05/04/2016 10:00

I phoned the police non emergency number and reported someone for drink driving. They had just came out of a party visibly drunk and gotten into a car.

I dont know what happened but a couple of months later they sold their car and after about two years bought a new one. So i assume they were banned from driving.

louisejxxx · 05/04/2016 10:08

I inadvertently did when I reported someone for crashing into me and failing to stop (obviously didn't know at the time) - unfortunately I wasn't confident I could identify her in a line up so the only charges they could bring against her were failing to stop and provide details. It wasn't her first offence so she was banned for 3 years (not that I think that will have stopped her from driving!)

travellinglighter · 05/04/2016 10:12

I've done it more than once. Did ita couple of weeks ago. Saw a car leaking water and decided to tell the lady in the car. The car wasn't leaking water, she'd poured water out of an Evian bottle so she could top it t up with vodka. Phoned 101.

Did the same a couple of years ago at a garage. Chap could barely stand, reeked of alcohol and got in a van and drove off. Called 101.

Don't know if either of them were caught.

PotterBot · 05/04/2016 11:49

Yes I have. A mum at the school she reeks of booze every single day.

I've called 3 times. And reported it at school. She is still driving. I don't know what else to do tbh.

apple1992 · 05/04/2016 11:55

potterbot does the school know?

I've not reported drink driving but reported erratic motorway driving, they texted later with an update!

LarrytheCucumber · 05/04/2016 11:55

DS reported a driver leaving a pub drunk. By the time the Police arrived he had crossed the carriageway and caused two minor accidents. He was prosecuted. (DS was door staff and his body cam footage was used as evidence.)

SistersOfPercy · 05/04/2016 12:24

Same experience as Mouthy

Our NDN was an alcoholic. It was a slow slide into it that we watched over the years. Eventually he lost his job and really went downhill. Every night as regular as clockwork at 7pm he'd get in the car, drive down our street (a mile long cul de sac with only one exit) to the off licence for whisky. He'd drive at 10mph, weaving all over the place.

I called crimestoppers, 101, even our neighbourhood PCSO. I told them 7pm, wait at the bottom of the street. Please stop him. Nothing whatsoever was done despite constant promises that it would be.

After three months of sheer frustration and with summer approaching and kids playing in the street I took matters into my own hands and called his adult son. He had a word but he still carried on driving. I called son again and this time he came, locked the car in the garage and took the keys.

Had a similar experience with a school Mum a few years ago who always turned up to collect the children blind drunk. Again Police did the sum of fuck all and another Mum went to the priest (Catholic School) who waited one night for a word with her, saw that indeed she was incredibly drunk and took her car keys. He called her DH and her Mother and she finally did get some help.

With the benefit of age, wisdom and hindsight I realise that both my examples were people who were ill and perhaps bypassing the Police was the better idea.

PotterBot · 05/04/2016 13:44

Yes the school know! I told the head and he said and I quote 'yes she comes in and we can smell it off her in waves'

PegsPigs · 05/04/2016 13:55

Given what a serious crime drink driving is, why don't police act on intelligence? Surely if I reported a burglary was going to happen they would stake the place out?

SistersOfPercy · 05/04/2016 14:48

Given what a serious crime drink driving is, why don't police act on intelligence? Surely if I reported a burglary was going to happen they would stake the place out?

You'd hope wouldn't you? But the reality is, I suspect, lack of Officers on the ground budget cuts and endless paperwork.
I was in our local station the other week for something and there was an elderly gent having a bit of a heated exchange with the lady on the desk. It transpired he's experienced some criminal damage and had good, clear footage of the culprit on CCTV. He'd spent a week chasing our local Police to actually come and view it.
Which leads me to the reason I was there. DH had been clearing some of his late Fathers things at his Mums house and found a vintage gun. Not wanting the responsibility of it he spoke to a friend who gave him the direct number for the guy who dealt with firearms. DH called him, left a voicemail explaining he had a gun that he wanted to dispose of asap. He waited over a week with no return call. In the end we handed it in at the desk, something we'd been advised against initially. We're still waiting for firearms guy to contact us (a month now) and still waiting for the welfare check the Police wanted to do on his DM given we'd handed them a weapon from her house.

Modern Policing is brill.

notquitehuman · 05/04/2016 15:31

A friend of mine worked at a company where the director often came in stinking of booze, would sit in her office with the blinds closed all day, and would stumble to her car just before 3pm to do the school run. One day they made an anonymous report to police at lunchtime that she was drunk and would be driving, giving the company and school's name. They never heard back from the police, but she was absent from work for about a week and takes taxis everyday now. They may have just been lucky and had a police car in the area.

WhatALoadOfOldBollocks · 05/04/2016 16:51

Yes. I was behind a driver who was weaving all over the road and almost had an accident at road works. I called 999 and they kept me on the phone so I could follow him and tell them where he was because it was a built up area with no CCTV. So exciting! After about 5 minutes I was passed by a patrol car that then pulled him over. Apparently he was well over the limit so I'm glad I called them.

Kit006 · 19/04/2022 11:01

Yes. I reported my wife twice via report line. She was caught 4x and 5x limit. She has never forgiven me but I am comfort with my conscience.

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