Think you're behind a drunk driver in Toronto? What to do

If you think the driver ahead of you is drunk or high, call 911. In Toronto, and anywhere in Canada, a suspected impaired driver counts as an emergency. MADD Canada's Campaign 911 exists to make that clear: you don't need to be sure, and you won't get in trouble if you're wrong.

Signs of an impaired driver

• Drifting between lanes, or straddling the line
• Speed that keeps changing for no reason, or driving far below the limit
• Very wide turns, or turns that clip the curb
• Braking or stopping for no reason, or stopping well past the line
• Missing or ignoring red lights and stop signs
• Driving at night with the headlights off
• Tailgating, or nearly hitting parked cars and other objects

One of these on its own can just be a distracted driver. Several together, especially late at night, is reason enough to call.

What to do

1. Keep well back. Don't pass if the driver is weaving.
2. Pull over somewhere safe before you call, or ask a passenger to call. Ontario's distracted driving law makes an exception for calling 911, but pulling over is still safer.
3. Tell the dispatcher where you are, which way the car is heading, the plate, and the make, model and colour.
4. Don't follow, block or try to stop the car. Police will take it from there.

If you saw it on your dashcam

Keep the file. If police lay a charge, they may ask for it. Your camera will record over it within a few hours of driving, so copy it off the card the same day.

Once police have it, you can also post the clip on BadDriver.ca so other drivers can search the plate. Read the posting rules first, and don't post the driver's face or anything that identifies them.