Here in San Diego County, a hot line was established for folks to call in litterbugs... espcially those that litter cigerette butts. The butts are seen as especially bad due to the fact live butts can spark fires, while dead butts simply wash up on local beaches and are a terrible eyesore and a huge source of beach pollution.
Apparently the phone-in hotline is very successful.
So why not a hotline for bad driving behaviour?
Sure, some of you are thinking "call 911." But not all calls warrant 911... and certainly the response of the police at some of these are going to be something along the lines of... "we can't get to that right now" or "well we didn't witness it... "
But like the litterbutt hotline... if a database can be built of automotive offenders... perhaps the accumulation of this data can point to those most "outstanding" in the driver field and they can be addressed.
Road rage could be a source of a call and personal vendattas could be eliminated by comparing the reportors to the reportees... repeat cases coming from a single source aimed at a single reportee could be eliminated as some form of personal attack. On the other hand, repeat cases from different sources about the same driver would indicate a clear cut pattern that could use some intervention.
Just an idea.
EricDJ
10-03-05, 09:33 AM
The ticket for this in California is high too, requires a judge to set the penalty amount. Can range anywhere up to $1000. Wish that hotline worked all across the state.
ItsJustMe
10-03-05, 11:40 AM
Time for the George Carlin solution. Everyone gets a dart gun to fire at *****holes, and the cops can ticket anyone whose car looks like a pincushion.
genec
10-03-05, 11:45 AM
paint ball guns... the most colorful car, loses.
jamesdenver
10-03-05, 12:17 PM
i was driving highway 82 in colorado between glenwood springs and aspen this weekend - they have signs "road rage dial *XXX"
and separate signs for DUI
pnj
10-03-05, 05:44 PM
the problem is, EVERYBODY is a bad driver.
genec
10-03-05, 07:02 PM
the problem is, EVERYBODY is a bad driver.
Sure, at one time or another, everybody makes a mistake... but those drivers that excell at "mistake making" will stand out by the sheer volume of reports that identify them.
Those drivers most likely need some remedial training or perhaps some reminder that they have to share the road with the rest of humanity.
kb0tnv
10-04-05, 06:01 AM
In Missouri you have to write a letter and send it in. I wish they had a hotline too since it would be faster!
Keep Cycling,
Jeff
oboeguy
10-04-05, 06:44 AM
Sure, at one time or another, everybody makes a mistake... but those drivers that excell at "mistake making" will stand out by the sheer volume of reports that identify them.
Those drivers most likely need some remedial training or perhaps some reminder that they have to share the road with the rest of humanity.
<cynicism>
The worst drivers simply don't care and will probably drive without a license anyway if you revoke it. Until consistently dangerous drivers are threatened with PMITA prison, nothing will happen. Heck even then nothing will happen.
</cynicism>
dobber
10-04-05, 08:39 AM
the problem is, EVERYBODY is a bad driver.
Pretty broad statement don't you think? Like anything else, you've got good ones and bad ones. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to weed the crappy ones out. I'd be all for mandatory testing every couple years and stiffer penalties for violations.
Funny, it seems insurance companies have a more vested intrest in your performance than the government.
nova
10-04-05, 09:20 AM
I say we start treeting motorists like we do a dog when were training it. Reward good behavior (driving in this example and punish bad. I had this wacky idea the other day when the guy in the big dodge with the big mower trailer passed me again. A nice gentle double tap on his horn and like before he waited till there was no doubt it was safe to pass and had slowed drastically. I wished i had some way to say thanks to this guy other than a friendly wave or nod. Ive trained dogs many times i use both positive and negitive re enforcement and it works great. Dogs are no diffrent than people in that regard. Just ticketing a motorist may stop their idiocy for a while but it will come back. But if motorists find out that some cyclists are giving these fast food coupon books out when a motorists shows them the respect they deserve they may tend to behave around us in a much more responsable and respectful manner. Just on the off chance that cyclist might be carrying such a litte and valuable book. And with the added possability that they could end up with a ticket in their mail box for a 200 dolor fine they will make doubly sure they dont act like idiots.
sbhikes
10-04-05, 09:26 AM
I disagree that bad drivers would just keep driving, even with a suspended license. Not really with that statement, because it might be true, but the way I see it there are a lot of people out there who have no idea they are bad drivers. Being the target of one of these hot-line calls might wake them up to the fact.
Keith99
10-04-05, 10:01 AM
Sure, at one time or another, everybody makes a mistake... but those drivers that excell at "mistake making" will stand out by the sheer volume of reports that identify them.
Those drivers most likely need some remedial training or perhaps some reminder that they have to share the road with the rest of humanity.
Problem is that for this to work there has to be the volume of calls. Over 10 years ago I tried to call the police on the non emergency line to report a probable stolen car. It took over a half hour to get through.
While I like the idea, the reality is police money would be better spent elsewhere.
genec
10-04-05, 10:46 AM
Problem is that for this to work there has to be the volume of calls. Over 10 years ago I tried to call the police on the non emergency line to report a probable stolen car. It took over a half hour to get through.
While I like the idea, the reality is police money would be better spent elsewhere.
Yeah, like monitoring those dangerous Critical Mass bicycle riders.... :rolleyes:
And then there's all those dangerous medical dope smokers... Better bust them before some crime wave breaks out... Who knows, they might eat all the Krispy Kremes. :eek:
Sarcasim... you bet... I think far too many drivers have gotten away with far too little enforcement out on our roadways. Too many motorists are pushing the speed limits and right turn on red (after a stop) is a joke. There isn't NEARLY enough police money being spent on traffic enforcement. If an idea like this gives the police more eyes on the street in the form of the general public, it sure seems like an efficient way to do a much larger job.
noisebeam
10-04-05, 10:57 AM
Around here, drivers in newpaper editorials are constantly asking for more enforcement of traffic laws, speeding, red light running, agressive driving, etc. It is well known there are few to no consequences to breaking traffic laws and that traffic police are understaffed.
Al
Keith99
10-04-05, 12:03 PM
Yeah, like monitoring those dangerous Critical Mass bicycle riders.... :rolleyes:
And then there's all those dangerous medical dope smokers... Better bust them before some crime wave breaks out... Who knows, they might eat all the Krispy Kremes. :eek:
Sarcasim... you bet... I think far too many drivers have gotten away with far too little enforcement out on our roadways. Too many motorists are pushing the speed limits and right turn on red (after a stop) is a joke. There isn't NEARLY enough police money being spent on traffic enforcement. If an idea like this gives the police more eyes on the street in the form of the general public, it sure seems like an efficient way to do a much larger job.
Unfortunatly what this woulkd do is take officers off the street to follow up on 'tickets' they would have a hard time winning. If there was a surplus of money or infrastructure this would be great, but there is not. Putting 5 more motor officers assigned to traffic enforcement woul do a whole lot more.
genec
10-04-05, 12:14 PM
Unfortunatly what this woulkd do is take officers off the street to follow up on 'tickets' they would have a hard time winning. If there was a surplus of money or infrastructure this would be great, but there is not. Putting 5 more motor officers assigned to traffic enforcement woul do a whole lot more.
Uh, lessee which is more efficient... checking reports from several witnesses about errant drivers or waiting on a corner for something to happen...
Keith99
10-04-05, 12:36 PM
Uh, lessee which is more efficient... checking reports from several witnesses about errant drivers or waiting on a corner for something to happen...
Which is more efficient, waiting for a call, which will AT BEST have a car license plate and most likely not that or having a police man on the street who can stop a driver, get his drivers license number, take proper notes AND actually show up for traffic court.
genec
10-04-05, 12:52 PM
Which is more efficient, waiting for a call, which will AT BEST have a car license plate and most likely not that or having a police man on the street who can stop a driver, get his drivers license number, take proper notes AND actually show up for traffic court.
Well in the first example I don't think there will be much of a wait... as the "litter line" gets 11 THOUSAND calls a year. If multiple people are reporting the same bad driver, you have automatic witnesses. Take that to court.
On the other hand, one officer waiting and then handling one driver takes how long?
sprcoop
10-04-05, 11:18 PM
I had a close call today. Arizona state law title 28 says that cars must give bikers three feet of space when passing. This Comcast Cable van past me doing 50 and it felt like 3 inches but was probably more like 6. All the vehicles in front of and behind had given me 5 feet. It's not like there wasn't room. I have ridden thousands of miles in AZ and that is by far the closest anyone has ever come. I was 10 minutes from home so I called Comcast and told the customer service supervisor where, when and what direction the van was going. He told me they could figure out who it was and it would be taken care of. I insisted on a call back and got everyones name.
On a happier note a few weeks ago an old lady cut me off turning right into the Kmart parking lot across the bike lane and I locked up the brakes, hitting her rear bumper and ending up on her trunk. I had it slowed down pretty good by the time I hit her so it was not hard. I was mostly worried about my Rolf Vector Pro front wheel with 14 spokes being damaged. The great part was that a Pima County Sheriff was
following her, saw the whole thing, and pulled into the parking lot to have a little chat with her. Since it didn't even knock my handle bars out of alignment and I only had a scratch on my knee I told the cop I was okay and got on with my ride. It could have been a contributing factor to the big wrinkle on the bottom of my down tube I noticed a couple weeks later.
noisebeam
10-05-05, 09:16 AM
I had a close call today. Arizona state law title 28 says that cars must give bikers three feet of space when passing. This Comcast Cable van past me doing 50 and it felt like 3 inches but was probably more like 6. All the vehicles in front of and behind had given me 5 feet.
Get used to it. I regulary get passed with much less than 3ft clearance while riding on the arterial roads. Often 12". I even and often ride in center of narrow outside lanes (like on Southern) and still get closed passed. I think the >3ft law is the least known cycling related driving law.
Al
sprcoop
10-05-05, 11:05 AM
Noisebeam, you've got bigger huevos than I do. I don't think I will ever get used to a near death experience. It really scared the cr*p out of me and then really p*ssed me off. No reason for it. I figure the only way I am going to get used to a near death experience is to have a "death" experience.