Hot rod mama - BLNDEZ 2

Danica Patrick, here's a message for you. Move over. You've got competition.

There is a woman driver in Woodstock who needs to get the message that U.S. 14 is not the fast track to NASCAR fame.

Last Thursday, about 7:35AM, I was on the way to MCC for a seminar. I must have missed the starter with the checkered flag near Culver's, but the driver of a red Pontiac with Illinois license "BLNDEZ 2" saw him and put the pedal to the metal.

She stomped on the accelerator, passed a car on the right, switched lanes to the inside lane, flew past the next car in the right lane, and raced up behind me at the lane drop just east of Culver's. If there had been room, she would have squeezed past me but I had the lane. She demonstrated her displeasure by closing in on the back of my fast and coming up very, very close. Like, "Hey, buddy. Out of the way!"

Now the "lady" (actually, no lady at all) was more than mildly irritated to find herself in a no-passing zone and behind a driver who was, of all the outrageous things, observing the 55MPH speed limit, and then observing the lower, but posted, 50MPH speed limit. And all the way to MCC. A few times I thought she might disregard the no-passing zone and blow right by me.

She was so close several times that I could read her front license plate in my rearview mirror and, for these tired old eyes, that's close.

I've seen her before on U.S. 14 in the morning. Somewhere in my notes, I've got her license plate from at least one of those previous encounters of the third kind.

The next time? That will be Strike Three. Then I will contact the appropriate law enforcement agency and invite her to explain to a traffic court judge just what her hurry was. And it won't be 1:1; I'll arrange for at least one other witness.

Anybody know her?

Bad Driver of the Day - a Tie

After a stop at my friendly Oberweis store on Randall Road, I was driving home, already licking my lips and anticipating some Rocky Road ice cream, when this driver (right photo) in a grey Dodge Charger (Illinois license X14 6901), in more of a hurry than I was, changed lanes without looking to his right. He was too busy yacking on his cell phone, handheld to his right ear with his right hand, and didn't look. Even after I honked the horn at him, he continued into my lane. Fortunately, no one was on the shoulder to my right and I could move over.

Grey and red might make a nice color combination, but not on the left side of my bug.

Then he accelerated, cut back into the left lane, passed a car, back into the right lane, back into the left lane and back again into the right lane and stopped at the red light at Algonquin Road. The cars between us turned off and I could stop right behind him. Sure wish I would have seen a friendly face in an Algonquin P.D. patrol car.

And then in the next block this next driver (left photo), in a grey Honda Accord (Illinois license 102 6176), almost rear-ended me in moving traffic, cut sharply into the left lane and then almost rear-ended the car in front of him, which was moving at about 25MPH in heavy traffic.

Maybe these two nuts were trying to get home before it snows...

Driver Flees Accident Scene

Yesterday morning's serious accident on Route 176 near Haligus Road (east of Route 47) is adequately reported in today's Northwest Herald on Page 3B, although the police agency handling it is not mentioned. From the phone number in the article, the Crystal Lake Police Department probably handled it.

For the 12 years I have been back in Illinois I have pursued what feels like a one-man crusade against reckless and dangerous drivers. The driver who caused yesterday's accident certainly fits in this category. On many occasions I have reported dangerous drivers to area police agencies, including McHenry, Lake and Kane County Sheriff's Departments.

Most of the time my calls have been professionally received and dispatched. When an officer or deputy has been able to stop the violator, I have requested that a ticket be issued and I have gone to court to testify. In 12 years one driver got off in Kane County and one driver got off in McHenry. In both cases the drivers lied about passing me in no-passing zones.

Yesterday's accident was reportedly caused by a driver who passed a car, even though there was oncoming traffic. The police will sort out all the details.

The driver caused the accident and kept going. His car is described as a red 2001 or 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier. That's pretty close, but it could be anything similar. My guess is that this driver was on the way to work and travels that route on a daily basis. He might avoid it for a while, but soon he'll return to the familiar route. He could live in Marengo or south Woodstock. Somebody knows who he is. My guess? White male, single, age 19-24, works in a plant or industrial setting.

When you see any vehicle of a similar description heading from west to east in that vicinity at 6:00AM, report it to 815-356-3620 and let them check it out.

And when a reckless or aggressive driver comes to your attention, report it! These drivers are killers, and we can work together to get them off the road.

Dodging Dodges Story #1

Setting: mid-afternoon in Woodstock. Heavy traffic southbound on Route 47 from Country Club Road. Sunny. Dry roads.

When I stopped in slow-moving traffic to allow a left-turning car to turn in front of me into the old Jewel parking Lot (Taco Bell, DMV, Office Depot, Aldi's), a guy in a large, black, Dodge (Illinois license 18 221D) stopped right on my back bumper. (Click on photo to enlarge it and read the plate clearly.) Then he proceeded to honk his horn and gesture at me, in an effort to make me move up a car length and block the entrance. Traffic was stopped in both southbound lanes ahead. What was the hurry?

All the way past Armanetti's and DeCraene's he tailgated me very closely. As traffic approached the green light at McConnell Road, this jerk swerved out into the left-turn lane and then gunned it to pass me through the intersection and then cut back into the single southbound lane.

I had the fleeting thought to siccing the Woodstock PD on him, but I knew he'd be south of town before an officer would ever be able to respond.

I continued on south to see what other stupid driving stunt he might pull, and I stopped right behind him at the red light at U.S. 14 by Benoy's. I decided to follow him (at a safe distance) a little further, and he tailgated the car he was following out of Woodstock, south on Route 47.

South of Lucas Road there is a no-passing zone, and he swung out to pass just as he reached the yellow, triangular sign on the left shoulder. He passed two cars before cutting back in. It was a good thing there was no northbound traffic, because there would have been a head-on crash or he would have run a car off the road.

I phoned the Huntley PD to alert them to a reckless driver headed their way. I hope they were able to spot one or more violations on their own and ticket him.

If you see this guy, give him a lot of room!

Reckless Driver in Jewel-Osco Lot

It's getting so that you take your life in your hands, when you shop at the Jewel-Osco in Woodstock. Sure, groceries cost an arm and a leg, and the price of gas to get to Jewel is almost enough to cause a heart attack.

But should you have to risk your life just to navigate the parking lot and find a parking place?

The driver of this old, rusty, Dodge Ram pick-up truck (license 17 999R) was quite impatient this afternoon and was apparently having trouble finding a parking place. As I stopped at one of the stop signs and allowed customers with shopping carts to pass in front of me, he exited a row and turned in behind me. (Although he stopped closely behind me, I was most appreciative that he didn't hit my car.)

I turned into the next parking aisle. As I pulled into a space, he "gunned" it and took off for the end of the aisle, then whipped a left U-turn and hit the accelerator hard, causing his tires to squeal, and headed back toward the store. Then he pulled in sharply and braked to a stop, past the dividing line between facing cars in the parking lot.

As I walked over to get a picture of his truck, the driver of the car next to the truck was backing out, and that driver spoke to me about the pick-up truck driver's speed and carelessness. He said he was glad his kids had not been in his car and that the truck had almost hit his car, when the driver pulled into the parking space.

Tire-squealing is actually an element of a Reckless Driving charge. The thought crossed my mind that two of us (the driver in the other car and I) might tilt the odds in favor of a conviction in McHenry County Traffic Court. At any rate, the pick-up truck driver got a pass today.

Maybe one of Woodstock's Finest will observe this driver operating recklessly on City streets and find a way to invite this driver to pay a visit in Traffic Court. Let's hope so.

© 2008 GUS PHILPOTT