Impaired motorist?

This past Sunday evening, on I287, I was driving behind a car that had some problems staying in lane.  He/she would be OK for 1/2 mile or so, and then drift 18" into the lane to the right, followed by 18" into the breakdown lane to the left.  This repeated several times.  Of course, the driver might have been texting, but that is equally unsafe.

I have reported clear DUI motorists in the past, but the this situation stumped me.

What would you do?

What is the reporting process?  911?

Seems like it warranted a call to the police.  The driver might have been drunk or texting OR might have been having a medical problem.

OR falling asleep. Calling 911 and honking frequently might have worked/helped. Scary but not uncommon.

I would (and have) called 911.

Just call 911, and be prepared to give your location, speed, and heading direction while the car is near you.

Note the mile marker number on the highway. Then call 911 and report. I am at mile marker ## of (direction) Rt. ##.  Th driver of "X" car is having difficulty controlling his vehicle and is drifting from lane to lane.

They will transfer you to the state police dispatcher.

It will likely be handled unless the driver leaves the highway and goes on to a local street.

do not honk unless you are about to be hit...honking could get you killed in a road rage incident.

Sorry to post so late in the game, but I wanted to add that sometimes drivers, can sometimes experience what is known as the "death wobble".  Not a drunk driver but actual mechanical traction control failure.  Most drivers will feel & recognize it, and turn on the hazard lights in addition to slowing down.  Just throwing that out there as another possible reason someone might be bouncing around lanes unintentionally.  This happened to us after a local shop supposedly gave us an "alignment".  

Just out of curiosity - is calling 911 a valid exception to the law against cell phone use while driving?  (I think it should be, but I've never heard it mentioned.)

sac said:

Just out of curiosity - is calling 911 a valid exception to the law against cell phone use while driving?  (I think it should be, but I've never heard it mentioned.)

It is a valid exception. Cop may check your phone history to verify the call was to 911.

9-1-1 And #77 Emergency Message
Each year millions of cellular telephone calls regarding roadside emergencies and life-threatening accidents pour into New Jersey's emergency call centers. The calls come in through the motorists use of the 9-1-1 System, the #77 Aggressive Driver System, and various other cellular hotlines that have been established. It is very important to use the appropriate system to report incidents you observe, so that the right priority is given to your call and it is properly directed.
Generally, 9-1-1 should be used to report life-threatening emergencies, such as motor vehicle accidents, disabled motor vehicles, all suspected criminal activity, and other general emergencies requiring immediate police or medical service response. 9-1-1 calls are priority calls and services are dispatched immediately.
The #77 Aggressive Driver System should be used to report aggressive or erratic driving that poses a risk to other motorists on the roadway. While these calls are important, 9-1-1 calls are prioritized over #77 calls as required by law. In #77 call response, police services are made aware of the report and respond according to availability and proximity to the incident, as well as, seriousness of the report. This system should not be used to report 9-1-1 emergencies.

but a DRUNK or otherwise impaired driver is a life threatening situation and 911 is appropriate..it is better to prevent injury by calling 911 before there is an accident...and have police enroute before they crash...

drunk driving is criminal activity.

is there a link where that info about 77 v 911 is from?

http://www.state.nj.us/njsp/info/wireless_911.htmhttp://www.state.nj.us/njsp/info/wireless_911.htm" target="_blank">

page not found to the NJSP link....and now that I read it again, a disabled vehicle is less of an emergency than an erratic driver if the vehicle is on the shoulder...

Either copy & paste the link, or remove everything in the <> that show up in the address bar after the address. (There is a current glitch in these worldwebs pages that adds stuff to link addresses that shouldn't be there).