Keeping My Distance

Last summer, we were on an interstate when we were passed by what we were sure was a drunk driver.  His car was all over the road, swerving across four lanes of traffic and then back.  He ran other cars off the road. He brought traffic to a halt at times when his car would run onto the shoulder and then back across traffic.  He braked excessively and then accelerated abruptly.

Finally, we called 911 and reported the problem complete with his license plate number.  For 10 more miles we shared the road with him as his erratic driving continued.  At the end of those 10 miles, we again called, amazed that there had not yet been an accident.  The dispatcher was not certain if it would be within the jurisdiction of the local police or the state police.  Either way, to our knowledge that driver was not pulled over that night.

Today I read an article about another apparently drunk driver reported by a fellow motorist.  The drunk driver was all over the road, including several swerves into oncoming traffic.

By the time the police caught up with him, the driver was almost home and driving normally.  He was pulled over anyway and then failed several sobriety tests.

Now the case may be thrown out because the arresting officer did not see evidence of erratic driving.  He simply pulled the driver over because of an annonymous tip from another driver.  The defense asks why that tipster wasn't asked to provide identification such as an address or name. Perhaps that tip was really a get-even plot by an enemy! 

I don't know the law, but it does seem to me that if someone reports a driver, and the driver does fail sobriety tests, then ethically the right thing was done in pulling him over.  And what if the driver was, in fact, sober?  Wouldn't the sobriety tests have proved that and the driver would have been sent on his way - no harm done?