Campaign 911 is a Canada-wide campaign to encourage and empower the Canadian public to report suspected impaired driving by calling 911.
The 911 service is reserved for emergency situations. Make no mistake about it, suspected impaired drivers are emergency situations.
Impaired driving is the number one cause of criminal death in Canada, yet every impaired driving crash is preventable.
By calling 911 and reporting suspected impaired drivers to police, all Canadians can play a role in keeping our roads safe and in reducing impaired driving crashes, deaths and injuries.
What to do if you observe a potential impaired driver:
- Call 911
- State your location
- Vehicle description
- License plate number
- Colour
- Make and model
- Direction of travel for the vehicle
- Description of driver
One other piece of information you should provide to the police call taker is to describe what the suspected Impaired Driver is doing. All 911 calls from the public are taped. Your description of the actions you are observing such as, the vehicle crossing the roadway lane dividers, almost hitting other vehicles, sideswiping highway guide rails, excessive braking, unusually slow speeds etc., will be taped and could be subpoened as evidence in any future trial. These tapes have a huge impact on trial judges when they hear a citizen describing the suspected Impaired Driver’s actions.
Ten possible signs of an impaired driver
Dangerous driving behaviour could be a sign of an impaired driver.
- Driving unreasonably fast, slow or at an inconsistent speed
- Drifting in and out of lanes
- Tailgating and changing lanes frequently
- Making exceptionally wide turns
- Changing lanes or passing without sufficient clearance
- Overshooting or stopping well before stop signs or stop lights
- Disregarding signals and lights
- Approaching signals or leaving intersections too quickly or slowly
- Driving without headlights, failing to lower high beams or leaving turn signals on
- Driving with windows open in cold or inclement weather
Your safety
While we are all interested in getting these menaces off the road, please keep your safety and that of the public, the number one priority. Impaired drivers very often will speed, go through red lights, make aggressive lane changes and more. It is safer to simply give the police call taker the last known direction of travel, rather than following the suspected impaired driver through dangerous situations.
- Please observe all safety rules
- Keep your distance from the impaired driver
- Wear your seatbelt
- Use extreme caution when using a cellular phone to call 911
- Police officers are trained specialists; let them do their job
- Never try to apprehend the impaired driver yourself
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