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In Judge Dredd , Judge Dredd states to the com's person that the drivers of the van are driving erratically 0:32 and are subsequently under the influence of narcotics.

Wouldn't anyone trying to get away from the police drive erratically? How does he know that they're using drugs?

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  • As an experienced Judge, he can presumably correlate the driving style with the likely drug of choice.
    – Valorum
    Commented Sep 16, 2016 at 12:20
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    Seems like a case that driving under the influence of narcotics may be the most common cause of erratic driving. He has simply disregarded other psychological factors for erratic driving such as nervousness etc. Clearly he hasn't been to India where erratic driving is the norm rather then the exception
    – Arcane
    Commented Sep 16, 2016 at 12:42
  • @Kyloren - I've upvoted. It's not a brilliant question, but it is question-worthy
    – Valorum
    Commented Sep 16, 2016 at 13:07
  • @Valorum, thanks, its much appreciated.
    – KyloRen
    Commented Sep 16, 2016 at 13:21
  • @KyloRen - And now you have some upvotes to balance things out.
    – Valorum
    Commented Sep 16, 2016 at 20:38

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Interestingly, the original script reads slightly differently

[DREDD is in hot pursuit of a vehicle.]

[The pursuit takes place in the tunnels beneath and through the megablocks, and the open stretches of and fly-overs between.]

DREDD: Dredd to Control. In pursuit of vehicle, sector thirteen, moving west up Wagner Drive. Driving erratic. Suspect driver is under influence of narcotics.

CONTROL (over radio): Copy, Dredd.

As opposed to what we see in the film

DREDD: Dredd to Control. In pursuit of vehicle, sector thirteen, Driving erratic. Suspects are under the influence of narcotics.

So the short answer is that Dredd suspects that their erratic driving is the result of drugs. Obviously he can't know for certain, but I'd guess with 30+ years of street experience and countless hours as a motor cop, he'd be pretty confident in his ability to tell the difference between a merely reckless driver and one that's driving under the influence.

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  • In the Original script "Suspect driver is..." may mean either "I suspect the driver is..." or "The driver who is the suspect is...". The second interpretation can still mean Dredd is certain about the narcotic use. Knowling the pronunciation of the word 'suspect' would clarify it.
    – DJClayworth
    Commented Sep 16, 2016 at 22:02
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    @DJClayworth - Alas there is no pronunciation guide. I would guess from the clipped sentences that "suspect" in this case means "I suspect". He's not a suspect in the sense that the (contemporary) police might use it. He's a perp.
    – Valorum
    Commented Sep 16, 2016 at 22:03

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