Here’s what CHP wants you to do if you see drivers swerving all over the road

Q. On a recent interminable drive from Oregon to the O.C., I had much time for contemplation, including about the very common signs you see: “Report Drunk Drivers, Call 911.” How are we to identify drunken drivers versus just plain bad drivers? Should we also report texting drivers, because many say it’s as dangerous as drunken driving? How often are these calls made and is there an actual serious response?

– Rick Birle, Lake Forest

A. If you see a driver who is potentially threatening others, just give a 911 operator a heads-up, Rick.

“Swerving into another lane is an indicator, fluctuating their speed, crossing over onto the shoulder (or median),” said Brian Kinsey, an officer and spokesman for the California Highway Patrol station house not real far from your place, Rick, in San Juan Capistrano. “Many times an officer is in the area and will try to contact that party.”

The dispatcher will want what you can provide: the vehicle’s make, model, color and, if possible, the license-plate number. Get a feel for where you are before dialing — what off-ramp are you near?

Sometimes, of course, the officers in the area are already attending other demands, say on the way to a crash. Otherwise, a black-and-white could try to spot the wobbly motorist.

“You also want to keep your distance, you don’t want to be in front of the driver — you want to stay behind them,” Kinsey said. “The best thing to do is to call. … Some people try to chase them down. … That’s not what we want.”

OK, how often do such 911 calls come in for drunken drivers?

“There is quite a few of them that come in,” Officer Kinsey said. “I have probably arrested 10 (originating from such calls). I have been on for 11 years.”

For texting motorists who are driving perilously, it is the same drill.

“It is just as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol — texting and driving,” Kinsey said. “If you see they are driving erratically, definitely call it in as well.”