A quick-thinking Langley RCMP officer had to smash the window of a moving car to stop an inebriated driver Tuesday afternoon.

At around 2 p.m., the police were called about an erratic driver on busy Glover Road near 64th Avenue, said Cpl. Holly Marks.

The first officer on the scene, with the Langley Traffic Section, found the car southbound on Glover near 63rd Avenue. The car was off the road slightly, lurching forward, near a construction zone.

The officer at first worried that the driver might have been suffering from a medical problem. He ran forward and smelled liquor even through the closed windows of the car, Marks said.

The officer yelled and banged on the car windows, trying to get the driver’s attention, but the driver simply looked back with a vacant stare and didn’t seem to be aware of the officer. All four car doors were locked.

The driver then tried to move back into traffic, towards construction workers, flag persons, and bystanders, Marks said.

The officer smashed the driver’s side rear window, unlocked the door, and shut off the ignition.

The 62-year-old Surrey driver was brought back to the Langley RCMP headquarters, and gave a breath sample that was three times the legal limit. Charges have been recommended.

The following day, police made a less dramatic traffic stop at 3 p.m. and again found a driver over the legal limit.