Following the article “Parking Enforcement on the Square” is a comment by an attorney who posted as “crystal lake”. In his comment he wrote, “I'm an attorney and I was shocked to hear about the time you asked the Woodstock Police to ticket someone for passing you on route 14. The officer's wouldn't write a ticket based on your "eyewitness" testimony, so you went to the Chief of police.”
This morning’s Northwest Herald and Chicago Tribune carried stories about the fatal accident Saturday night on Route 62, Algonquin Road, in Barrington Hills. This is the second fatal accident in a month on Route 62. A car with family headed home after a church program was hit almost head-on about 11:20PM by a 22-year-old Crystal Lake man who, according to the Tribune article, “…made multiple passing attempts just before the accident, even though that stretch of road is a no-passing zone.” Two people were killed.
I drive that roadway often, although during the day. It is well-marked and has good sight distances. And it’s a no-passing zone for about four miles, between Highway 68 and Highway 25.
So, should drivers report careless, reckless and possibly drunk drivers? Should safe drivers report drivers who pass in no-passing zones? Should they report drivers who tailgate them at 55MPH?
Yes, yes and yes. Absolutely they should. In many areas of Chicagoland, you can dial *999 on your cell phone and reach an emergency services operator who will connect you with the nearest police department. Tell the operator where you are. If you know the town or city, tell them; if you only know the location (ex., Route 62 going toward Highway 59), tell them that. When you reach the local department, stay on the phone.
Unfortunately, the smaller police departments are stretched thin and may not be able to get a police car to you before you are out of their jurisdiction. Tell the police dispatcher that you want help from the police in the next town. If it’s an emergency, dial 911.
Your call could save a life. You may not be willing to go to court, as I am, but alerting the police may get a dangerous driver off the road. Be ready to provide as much detail as possible, even it is only a partial license plate number. The cops may be able to fall in behind, observe a traffic violation on their own for which they can make a traffic stop, and they’ll take over from there.
You never know who is interested…
3 months ago
14 comments:
And tie up Emergency Services with complaints of "tailgaters" so they cannot respond to real emergencies?Good idea.
*999 is Roadside Assistance, not an Emergency number. Reporting dangerous drivers may mean that Emergency Services won't have to clean up a fatality. The dispatcher will properly control when s/he gets "tied up" with a call about a dangerous driver. I'm pretty sure that dispatchers are trained to prioritize calls and to quickly and briefly explain to the non-emergency caller, if a higher-priority call demands full attention. Tailgating is a sign of aggression and bullying and often leads to even more serious driving violations, such as passing in no-passing zones and even when there is close oncoming traffic.
So when exactly does tailgating become a crime. I don't think it does until there is an accident. So if you call about tailgating, what are the police suppose to do.
Oh that right, you don't care as long as you bother the police again about something.
Taken from rules of the road, Chapter 10:
Aggressive Driving
Aggressive driving is the operation of a motor vehicle in a manner that endangers or is likely to endanger persons or property. Persons doing any of the following may be committing acts of aggressive driving.
* Speeding
* Running red lights and stop signs
* Tailgating
* Passing on the shoulder of the road
* Cutting off another vehicle
* Slamming on brakes in front of a tailgater
* Improper hand or facial gestures at other drivers
* Yelling
* Repeatedly honking the horn
* Repeatedly flashing of headlights
Aggressive driving is a serious problem that is responsible for many traffic accidents and fatalities. It is to your benefit to avoid aggressive drivers and potentially dangerous situations. If you encounter an angry or aggressive motorist:
* Do not retaliate or in any way engage the other driver. Get out of the way.
* Do not make eye contact.
* Keep your doors locked and your windows up.
* Keep enough space between you and the vehicle in front of you to pull out from behind.
* Do not underestimate the other driver’s potential for aggression.
Anyone can become an aggressive driver. Do not let stress and frustration get the best of you while driving.
* Be patient and courteous.
* Do not drive when angry, overtired or upset.
* Allow extra time to get to your destination.
* When possible, change your schedule to avoid congestion.
* Listen to relaxing music or books on tape.
* Give other drivers the benefit of the doubt - all drivers make mistakes.
* Avoid all conflict, even if you are right.
-----------------------------------
But nothing about calling the cops....
Maybe we should start calling the police for flashing the headlights or making faces. What about purposely driving in a manner designed to enrage another driver like driving slowly (assuming your speedometer is correct or watching to try to get plate numbers instead of watching the road or... oh, whats the point sort of like running in the special olympics.
Thanks for the anonymous reader who posted the section about aggressive driving. Tailgating, by itself, may be only a traffic violation. It moves into the category of aggressive driving, which is a criminal offense, when the driver persists in remaining dangerously close and refuses to back off.
I had a woman arrested in Richmond, Va. for tailgating me at 55MPH for 1/2-mile. Her attorney did a better job of convicting her than I ever could have. He asked her if it was true, as I had testified, that she was only 4-6" behind me for half-a-mile at 55MPH. She said it was not true.
Then, of all the dumb questions he could have asked, he asked her just how far behind me she was. I can tell you that she did not want to answer. She was an attorney and knew she had to answer. The judge finally started drumming his fingers on the bench. Said she, "Well, about 12 inches."
To that the judge exclaimed, "He's going 55, and you're 12" behind him. That IS Reckless Driving.
Yo, anonymous. Tailgating is not a real emergency? I consider it attempted murder. I have long considered carrying a box of bricks in the passenger seat to lob out the window in self defense when some sociopath is one car length behind me at 50 mph. And why have I never, in 57 years, seen someone pulled over for tailgating?
Now that I think of it, why have I never seen a police car on Kishwaukee Valley Road. (hope I spelled that right.) I have an acquaintance who once went to Rockford on a regular basis. I happened to ask him, one time, how long it took him to get there. He said, "20 minutes, maybe 15 on a good night." His standard cruising speed was 100+ mph. Never got stopped.
Lobbing bricks at cars because tailgating is attempted murder? I'd make time to go to the trial for that one. Which driver do you suppose would be up for "attemted murder"? That last post says it all about this blog.
bricksarehandy, you might enjoy the article I posted on July 13, 2007, about the driver arrested for 145MPH on Kishwaukee Valley Road in January. Click on "July" (right side) and scroll down.
The driver was fined $1,069 plus court costs, and the judge threw some other "bricks" at him.
We know you are kidding about the bricks. Not kidding about "wanting" to lob them, but about actually doing so. I too wonder why police don't stop more drivers for tailgating. But I wonder that about all traffic violations.
Too many times Tailgaters get away with more then just driving too close. These are often the people who have misaimed headlights, blasting right into your rear view mirror. As far as driving slowly, I DO drive slow in school zones during daylight hours. Do people realize that children are often present both before and after school has let out? Go past a schoolyard and check out how many children are playing there on an average day. I feel they should mandate 20mph around schools ALL the time. I hate talegaters, I hate people that are too busy to STOP at those little red 8 sided signs, I REALLY hate those that feel they must weave through traffic as they had to sleep that extra thirty minutes instead of being consciencious enough to plan ahead and arrive early. Our police force here in Woodstock is actually understaffed for the amount of people we have living here and the amount of area they must patrol. You DO have the right as an American to go to the police station and file a complaint against someone who has blatently violated traffic laws.
The stop signs with the white outlines are optional. At least thats what i've been told.
Will you please elaborate about the stop sign "with the white outlines"? Are you referring to the small signs posted for snowmobilers? (Or am I totally missing your sarcasm about stopping at stop signs?) I suspect that stopping at them is not optional. Are they a conditional stop, such as if a pedestrian is crossing? Can you give a couple of examples of locations where you have seen them? Thanks.
I've just found this blog after days of searching Google on info about aggressive driving. I am currently pressing charges against an aggressive driver in my township and the entire process has been brutal. All I can find on the internet are people who've been given tickets for aggressive driving whining about how unfair it is. When I went to file the complaint with my police department, I was given the run-around. I found it ironic that hanging up right behind the police window was an enormous poster about steps regular citizens can take to stop aggressive drivers!
I have received a letter from the defendant pleading with me to drop the charges. I briefly contemplated it until I read further on that he did not recall driving in an aggressive manner and did not think he deserved to get his license suspended. So obviously he has broken prior traffic laws and has not learned any sort of lesson. All I can hope is that when we meet, he will see that he terrorized a person (and her 2 small children in the backseat of the car) who actually has the ability to get him taken off the road.
As for the posters saying that this is a waste of time and that aggressive driving should not be a charge unless resulting in an accident, I will explain what happened in my situation. The man was tailgating me on a 40 mph road. I was doing 45. It was 8pm and he was so close to my back bumper, I could not see his headlights. I pulled over as soon as I could and let him pass. I caught up with him at a red light a little further along and once the light turned green, he started tailgating another car in a similar manner. That person pulled over as well, but was so slow about it that Mr. Aggressive honked and swung around him into the opposite lane. The person who pulled over was irate, honked back, and pulled right back into the road, where I was coming along with several cars behind me. If I had not slowed down in anticipation of this, he and I would have collided. So yes, the aggressive driver had caused an accident, but would he be around to be accused of it? No. And that's what I find with these types of drivers--they leave accidents in their wake and are seldom actually involved.
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