11:43 AM EST on Tuesday, December 27, 2005

By DAN STARKS / 6NEWS

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Encountering a drunk driver is one of the most dangerous situations on the road, and how you react can save your life and possibly someone else's.

"This guy didn't even slow down. Didn't even swerve. He just kept coming like a freight train," said Stephanie Bertorelli.

She witnessed an out of control driver who was allegedly drunk and driving the wrong way down the road.

"It's shaken me up. At the time when it happened it was all instinct. Someone is coming at you, you are going to turn, or make some kind of reaction," she said.

Police said that is the dangerous situation you impose on others when you drink and drive.

That wrong way driver did end up hitting another driver and killing him, a UNC Charlotte freshman. Troopers said there was nothing the victim could do.

The Bertorelli family saw the driver just minutes before he crashed.

"It was the longest four seconds of my life. Everything was in slow motion. All I could see was lights and in the split second I had to realize what was going on. Everything flashed through my eyes," said Bertorelli.

Sometimes the signs of a drunk driver aren't so obvious, but they can be just as deadly.

Police said wide turns are one of the more subtle signs of a drunk driver, as well as weaving inside a lane and sudden car jerks. Officers said these are all signs you need to get out of the way.

If a vehicle is behind you, pull off and let it get by you.

Try and get a description and a plate number, then call authorities.

"I said you need to call police immediately. Someone needs to stop him because this guy is going to kill somebody," said Bertorelli.

When you call police, give them specific details about your location and the direction you're traveling in.

"If he had taken any evasive action, we wouldn't be here today. That's what I haven't been able to shake," said Bertorelli.

For the Bertorelli family all it took was a trip home to remind them of how deadly drunk drivers can be.

"That I could have almost been wiped out carelessly and I'm very grateful," said Bertorelli.

Once you make the call to the police don't continue to follow a drunk driver hoping to give more details. Police said you should let them handle it and you should keep yourself out of harm's way.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration said last year North Carolina had 553 alcohol related crashes. That's a little more than one third of all vehicle crashes.