Bill Would Pay 100 Bounty on Drunk Drivers

To cut down on highway deaths and get drunk drivers off the road, a California lawmaker has introduced a bill that would get the public involved in solving the problem. Sen. Robert Calderon proposed legislation would pay $100 to anyone who reports a drunken driver who ends up being convicted of DUI.

Calderon's bill comes on the heels of a Office of Traffic Safety report that 791 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes in the state in 2010.

And how does cash-strapped California come up with the $100 to pay tipsters? Rep. Calderon's bill has that covered too. Under the proposed law, the courts would order the convicted drunk driver to pay the $100, if convicted as a result of a citizen's tip.

In many states, the highway patrol has signs with a special number that cell phone users can use to report drunk driving. Of course, in any jurisdiction, drivers can call 9-1-1 to report a suspected drunken driver, and many do make those calls.

Perhaps a $100 bounty will get even more drunk drivers off the highways.

How to Report a Drunk Driver

California and other states already have guidelines for how to report a suspected intoxicated driver:

• Tell the dispatcher you want to report a drunk driver.
• Give the exact location of the vehicle, including the name of the street, cross streets. Give the direction the vehicle is traveling.
• Give a description of the vehicle, including make, model and color as well as the license plate number.
• Describe why you think the driver is intoxicated.
• Don't try to follow or detain the diver yourself.

^{News Source: "$100 Reward for Reporting Drunk Drivers Proposed by California Lawmaker"}

More About Drunk Driving:

• What Happens If You Are Arrested for Drunk Driving?
  
• State by State Drunk Driving Laws
  
• Drunk Driving Enhancements Quiz

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