Advocacy & Safety - Payback for Road Rage !

Several may remember that I was the victim of road rage several months ago, in a downtown area.

A "Bike Cop" actually stopped and arrested the woman, after she crowded into my lane, she was blowing her horn at me (at a stoplight), then crowding me out of the lane (right side) when the light turned green.... A major mistake she made was to not notice the cop next to her...... She was ticketed for aggressive driving - and has to remember being run down by a bike cop, with lights and sirens.

After a couple postponements, at court, she finally had her day in court today. She was there with two lawyers (wonder how much that cost).... I was there, as was the arresting officer.

Right before court, she agreed to plead no contest, so I never got to testify (RATS).

The Judge accepted the plea, and fined her:





































$1,000.00

















plus $387.50 court costs.











a rather expensive lesson...................

Haha, wow! That's really great. I'd imagine that if it had gone to trial she would have paid more than 1400 dollars. (If you live in the kind of place that does that kind of thing if found guilty)

That's a pretty steep fine. Combined with her attorney fees and other expenses she's probably on the hook for considerably more beyond that. I'm sure she'll think twice before acting recklessly again.

That's a pretty steep fine. Combined with her attorney fees and other expenses she's probably on the hook for considerably more beyond that. I'm sure she'll think twice before acting recklessly again.

Not likley. The most the law can do is hold people like this accountable, but they will not learn their lesson until they change their attitude, which can only happen through forced driver education for adults.

Perhaps the OP can elaborate on what kind of vehicle she was driving and what her attitude was in the court room, before, during and after. Yes a person's vehicle says a lot about them. Especially if they have high end vehicles. That usually indicates they have disposable income and could likley have a holier then though-get the F**k out of my way-I own the road type attitude. What this woman did clearly indicates that.

I kind of doubt she had any remorse or felt any guilt at all.

nice. it's so much better than her getting away with this kind of BS. Hopefully, she'll never do that again.

is N. Aurora a suburb of Chicago? So strange to see an Illinois tag on this one. Am i totally out of touch with the bike friendlness of the midwest? I had a different impression...

That's a pretty steep fine. Combined with her attorney fees and other expenses she's probably on the hook for considerably more beyond that. I'm sure she'll think twice before acting recklessly again.

I wouldn't call it steep. I think it's pretty reasonable. I'm guessing that she has plenty of money (the two lawyers). If you were lower middle class or poor it'd be a steep fine (which would be good). But if you're wealthy the day in court is worse than losing a measly grand.

good job!

Thanks for doing the right thing!

I kind of doubt she had any remorse or felt any guilt at all.

Based on what exactly?

A&S clairvoyants strike again.

Not likley. The most the law can do is hold people like this accountable, but they will not learn their lesson until they change their attitude, which can only happen through forced driver education for adults.


Bzzt. Forced driver ed is a joke. It is a purely punitive measure and both attendees and instructors treat it as such.

I'd rather see loss of license for stuff like this.

I wouldn't call it steep. I think it's pretty reasonable. I'm guessing that she has plenty of money (the two lawyers). If you were lower middle class or poor it'd be a steep fine (which would be good). But if you're wealthy the day in court is worse than losing a measly grand.

I neglected to consider that most of Aurora is in in Kendall County with a court system quite different than the lax Cook County traffic courts of which I'm familiar with. Comparatively speaking, I would consider a $1,000 fine for reckless driving steep by Cook County standards.

Again, it is amazing these people don't get a suspended license. It is obvious she is a hazard to others and probably not just bikes. Later when she causes serious physical damage everyone will shake their heads and wonder why this person is allowed to drive. If I take a gun and threaten someone would I only have to pay $1400?

Aurora is almost totally in Kane County, but location in the southeast corner of the county , takes in small parts of DuPage, Kendall, and Will counties. It is a city of about 200,000 people.

I live in North Aurora, which used to be about 4 miles north of Aurora city limits. We now touch, but are still separate cities. North Aurora has about 30,000 residents. I live about 40 miles west of Chicago, which is now solid suburbia until about 2 miles west of my house. North Aurora is actually older than Aurora, at about 175 years old. Aurora is about 150.

I'd have to say, that the area is basically pretty bike friendly - other than a few squirrels. We have a beautiful MUP system, which is very hand for getting around on bikes. Streets/people are pretty bike friendly but basically have no bike lanes. It is not usually a problem to ride a bike anywhere around here. Even downtown areas are usually pretty forgiving of bicyclists/pedestrians.

The Fox River Bike Trail connects almost all of the cities in the Fox River Valley (100 miles long), and is a great place to ride a bike. Occasionally, you have to venture out into downtown streets to reconnect back by the river. Other trails, mostly paved, branch out from this trail system, and I can even ride all the way to Chicago, 40 miles east, or Dekalb/Sycamore 40 miles west, Wisconsin 60 miles north, etc.

She appeared to be 25-30, nothing special, didn't appear wealthy or poor.

She was driving a smallish, 5 year old car, nothing special - On her first court appearance, one lawyer appeared with her, and asked for postponement. Second appearance, the other lawyer did the same thing.

On her third appearance (yesterday) both were present.

The only time I heard her speak, was when the Judge asked her if she agreed with the pre trial agreement, yesterday. All she said was, yes, your honor. She never looked around, and appeared scared/nervous evry time she was in court.....

The Police Officer, and I, were at all three court appearances, and were always pointed out to the lawyers by the States Attorney...... She was charged with reckless driving, aggressive driving, and improper lane usage. The States Attorney agreed to the plea deal, because the aggressive driving carried the biggest fine, and will remain on her driving record forever.....

Whoops. I thought it was Kendall County.

It's good that you made all the court appearances. She probably intended to postpone in the hope that you would not show up, then she would demand a trial. Without your testimony the judge would either postpone it again or dismiss the case. Lots of cases are dismissed that way in Cook County traffic court.

In a way I feel sorry for her, she did something stupid on the spur of the moment and now it's on her permanent record.

But mostly, I feel she got exactly what she deserved. She might have killed the OP!

That's a great victory.

In a way I feel sorry for her, she did something stupid on the spur of the moment and now it's on her permanent record.
But mostly, I feel she got exactly what she deserved. She might have killed the OP!

You're joking rigtht? You can't feel sorry for someone who breaks that law and tries to run someone over just because she may have had to slow down for a fraction of a second or move over in the lane. It's not a spur of the moment when she had several chances to let it go but she just kept on. She could have killed the OP and gone to jail for many years or the OP could have caught her and rightfully beat her to a pulp.

In a way I feel sorry for her, she did something stupid on the spur of the moment and now it's on her permanent record.

But mostly, I feel she got exactly what she deserved. She might have killed the OP!

Sure it was stupid and spur of the moment... but that is all it takes to kill a cyclist... just a quick nudge by an impatient motorist... and blamo, you are face down skidding across pavement.

Patience has to be part of the whole driving experience... PERIOD! Especially today, with cars that readily can go 0-60 in 8 seconds or less.

Maybe she did learn her lesson. I have done some stupid things while driving in the past and now I control myself more.

I probably posted this in the original thread, but I had a similar thing happen when I was driving my car. I managed to anger another driver, and he tried to force me onto the sidewalk. The problem for him was the car behind me was a cop. I guess it's too hard to stop both vehicles in that case and get the aggrieved party as a witness. On a bike it's pretty natural.

Did either of you read this part?



But mostly, I feel she got exactly what she deserved. She might have killed the OP!

...

Perhaps the OP can elaborate on what kind of vehicle she was driving and what her attitude was in the court room, before, during and after. Yes a person's vehicle says a lot about them. Especially if they have high end vehicles. That usually indicates they have disposable income and could likley have a holier then though-get the F**k out of my way-I own the road type attitude. What this woman did clearly indicates that.

I kind of doubt she had any remorse or felt any guilt at all.

Yea, and the color of their skin says a lot about them too. Do you realize how bigoted and silly you sound?

Did either of you read this part?in which case she didn't really get a strong enough sentence. But since traffic "accidents" are an accepted way to kill people in this country, this is probably the most just outcome anyone could expect absent any injury to the OP.

Snip...

The Police Officer, and I, were at all three court appearances, and were always pointed out to the lawyers by the States Attorney...... She was charged with reckless driving, aggressive driving, and improper lane usage. The States Attorney agreed to the plea deal, because the aggressive driving carried the biggest fine, and will remain on her driving record forever.....

If that's true, her insurance rates over a lifetime might make the 1400 pale in comparison.

The $24 question is what was she thinking? Did she really think she was behaving appropriately? I know, this is the part that will never be answered, but you just gotta wonder.

Yea, and the color of their skin says a lot about them too. Do you realize how bigoted and silly you sound?

+1. I drive a pickup, I suppose that makes me a redneck racist....

+1. I drive a pickup, I suppose that makes me a redneck racist....

It all depends on how you drive and share the road. Our family vehicle is a Land Cruiser... an SUV. My wife drives it as if it is a sports car (with me chastising her all too often).

I drive in a very friendly manner... respecting all users of the road.

Send the cop a dozen donuts, he showed up three time to see that justice was served, with out him in the court room, it's just your word against hers.

It all depends on how you drive and share the road. Our family vehicle is a Land Cruiser... an SUV. My wife drives it as if it is a sports car (with me chastising her all too often).

I drive in a very friendly manner... respecting all users of the road.

Wait what? I understand what you're saying, but as a reply to this

"+1. I drive a pickup, I suppose that makes me a redneck racist.... "

It sounds ridiculous.
In reply to that, it sounds like you're saying that a person who drives a pickup a certain way is automatically a redneck racist. (Unless of course they are doing things that obviously point out that they in fact ARE, then of course...)

Just to clarify, barring the obvious, would you assume that someone driving a pickup in an aggressive manner is a redneck racist?

Hmm... I wonder if her lawyers advised her (at any point) that, technically, her actions could fall under the legal definition of Assault (note: assault = threat, battery = contact), for the purpose of torts (aka, being sued).

Wait what? I understand what you're saying, but as a reply to this

"+1. I drive a pickup, I suppose that makes me a redneck racist.... "

It sounds ridiculous.
In reply to that, it sounds like you're saying that a person who drives a pickup a certain way is automatically a redneck racist. (Unless of course they are doing things that obviously point out that they in fact ARE, then of course...)

Just to clarify, barring the obvious, would you assume that someone driving a pickup in an aggressive manner is a redneck racist?

No, to be specific, I am saying that such stereotypes are over the top... individuals are individuals. However that said... stereotypes exist because there is some (however small) element of truth.

Not all SUV drivers are soccer moms, not all pickup drivers are redneck racists, but some SUV drivers are soccer moms... etc.

One has to wonder what motivates a pickup driver to jack up the body, put on big aggressive wheels and put on a loud exhaust system... what are the chances that this driver is your every day run of the mill worker that just needs to haul a load from place to place? :rolleyes:

Recently I've notice that the profile less-than-courteous drivers isn't so much the type of vehicle, but rather, the amount of bling that vehicle carries. In other words, a Lexus or Escalade SUV is more likely to misbehave than a stock, regular cab Ford F150 or 5 year old Toyota 4runner. IMHO, expensive luxury sedans are not any more nicer to cyclists than SUV's.

Send the cop a dozen donuts, he showed up three time to see that justice was served, with out him in the court room, it's just your word against hers.I do not know about other states or cities, but in Hawaii, it is my understanding that when a cop here goes to court as a witness, they get full overtime pay. Even if they are only in court for an hour, they get a half days pay.

OP, thanks for your perseverence with this case.

I live in St. Charles, and though my commute no longer takes me right through your neck of the woods as it once did, I like to ride south through Geneva, Batavia, and N. Aurora on weekends during nice times of the year.

I believe that little victories like this add up to change perspectives in the law enforcement/legal community and the general public.

Any place that will prosecute a case like this sounds "bike friendly" to me.

It doesn't really matter whether the woman feels remorse. What matters is whether her behavior changes. Given her nervousness/fear in court, plus her probably $2,000 out of pocket expenses (not counting increased insurance costs), as well as whatever points she gets on her license, plus the fear over whatever the lawyer told her was the maximum penalty...there may be enough there to force some behavior modification. At least for a while.

Groovy.
Yeah the cop gets paid.
A dozen donuts? There is a stereotype for you. Maybe all cops don't like donuts.
Does the woman feel remorse? Has she learned a lesson? Is her attitude changed?
I DON'T KNOW, but I THINK she will probably leave wide space for any bicycle in the future.
dc

Groovy.
A dozen donuts? There is a stereotype for you. Maybe all cops don't like donuts.

What's not to like? They're donuts.

Have you written a Letter to the Editor of your local newspaper, expressing gratitude to the officer, and PD and DA for being proactive in protecting cyclists?

Very nice Wanderer. Thanks for the good news.