When some people wake up, the first thing they do is reach over and give their sweetheart a good-morning kiss. Others reach over and check their phones for message, while still others stretch and yawn and head for the bathroom.
One Colorado man recently woke up and tried to drive off in his car. The 45-year-old was reportedly passed out in his idling vehicle when firefighters found him slumped over the steering wheel. They put wheel chocks in place to secure the car, but when the man woke up and tried to drive away, he hit a firetruck, police said.
According to a news report, Colorado Springs law enforcement officials said the man was trying to drive away by rocking his car back and forth against the wheel chocks. Officers reported told him to stop but he refused and then slammed his car into the side of a fire truck. The accident caused minor damage to the truck.
The driver was arrested on charges of driving under the influence, reckless driving and obstructing police and fire officers.
While it might be momentarily tempting to try to flee an impending DUI charge, it’s a temptation that should in all situations be immediately rejected. It would have been much better for this man to comply with officers’ orders, be taken into custody on suspicion of drunken driving and then ask to speak to a DUI defense attorney.
In that way, he could have immediately started the process of protecting not only his rights, but also his freedom and his driving privileges.