Did I do the right thing in reporting a reckless trucker?
dan herrmann
with Oklahoma plates was driving recklessly. Going about 75mph (in a 55
zone), heavy traffic. He was weaving in and out of traffic like some
motorcycles do on I-5 in LA. Tailgating too. I thought he'd tip over
from the speed of his lane changes. I wish I was a trooper! He'd have
gotten a reckless driving citation at the very least.
My wife and I were both pretty scared by the nut and called *11 on the cell
phone, which put us in touch with the PA Turnpike authority. They took all
the information, including our phone number (so we could be witnesses if
needed).
Do you think I did the right thing in calling this guy in? I've never done
it before, but I thought he'd kill somebody.
NFARS
would be perfect.
My name is Chris Sampang, but please, call me Calvin.
CrapNews: http://crapnews.cjb.net
"It's a magical world, Hobbes ol' buddy...."
David Sturm
>My wife and I were both pretty scared by the nut and called *11 on the cell
>Do you think I did the right thing in calling this guy in? I've never done
>it before, but I thought he'd kill somebody.
Absolutely, Dan. That's one of the key reasons law enforcement advertises
the *HP codes. There was just a cartoon in the papers about a woman calling
in her husband at a rest area then getting pulled over down the road...
Which really isn't what I consider a funny cartoon... but a damn smart idea.
Imagine if you hadn't called, and somewhere further down the TPK, Mr Insane
Driver crushed some family in their SUV, killing them all... Driver claims
the SUV came over into his lane, or somesuch... The fact they had a report
earlier about the same driver would now matter a *whole* lot...
I've no beef about truckers driving just at the speed limit, but they're
massive vehicles and *momentum* kills...
Dave, i.e.
David Eugene Sturm, Eugene because in 1962, my Uncle Gene was killed by a
high-speed out-of-control driver who flew across the median of then US-25
now I-75 running north from Dayton, right at the famous old Traffic Circle
interchange... and noting that a simple Jersey rail and he'd be alive
today... PS, anyone see the recent TLC documentary on car safety?
John Lansford
>My wife and I were both pretty scared by the nut and called *11 on the cell
>phone, which put us in touch with the PA Turnpike authority. They took all
>the information, including our phone number (so we could be witnesses if
>needed).
>
>Do you think I did the right thing in calling this guy in? I've never done
>it before, but I thought he'd kill somebody.
Absolutely. Truck drivers who abuse the rules of the road endanger
everyone else out there with them. You did right in calling the
authorities and telling them what you saw.
John Lansford, PE
The unofficial I-26 Construction Webpage:
http://users.vnet.net/lansford/a10/
Scott M. Kozel
>
> I was on I-276 in Pennsylvania last evening (around 6:30pm), and a truck
> zone), heavy traffic. He was weaving in and out of traffic like some
> motorcycles do on I-5 in LA. Tailgating too. I thought he'd tip over
> from the speed of his lane changes. I wish I was a trooper! He'd have
> gotten a reckless driving citation at the very least.
>
> phone, which put us in touch with the PA Turnpike authority. They took all
> the information, including our phone number (so we could be witnesses if
> needed).
>
> Do you think I did the right thing in calling this guy in? I've never done
> it before, but I thought he'd kill somebody.
Absolutely, you did the right thing! Thanks, Dan!
--
Scott M. Kozel koz...@richmond.infi.net
Highway and Transportation History Websites
Virginia/Maryland/Washington D.C. http://www.richmond.infi.net/~kozelsm
PHL area http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Campus/5961/pennways.html
John F. Carr
dan herrmann <dher...@chesco.com> wrote:
>I was on I-276 in Pennsylvania last evening (around 6:30pm), and a truck
>with Oklahoma plates was driving recklessly. Going about 75mph (in a 55
>zone), heavy traffic. He was weaving in and out of traffic like some
>motorcycles do on I-5 in LA.
75 on the PA Turnpike isn't unreasonable, but rapid weaving in a big
truck is. I was nearly hit by a truck on that road a couple years ago:
I was in the left lane passing at about 10 MPH relative speed when the
truck in the right lane decided to move over.
--
John Carr j...@tiac.net
H.B. Elkins
>Do you think I did the right thing in calling this guy in? I've never done
>it before, but I thought he'd kill somebody.
Yep, you sure did. I've used my car phone to report dangerous
motorists before, including:
1.) A couple of drivers who were obviously racing down the Mountain
Parkway. One guy in a Camaro and one guy in a Firebird blew by me
once, and they had to be doing 100 mph. Now I drive 5-10 miles over
the speed limit, but the speeds these guys were driving were
definitely unsafe.
2.) A van full of drunks, weaving all over I-75 in Madison County,
changing lanes willy-nilly in a construction zone with a jersey
barrier right up against the left lane, and tossing beer cans out the
windows.
3.) A Mustang driving at a high rate of speed through a construction
zone on I-75 in Madison County, weaving in and out of traffic.
4.) A driver weaving all over KY 52 in Lee County, driving very
erratically.
I just wish Kentucky would adopt some sort of uniform number, such as
*KSP, the way West Virginia and Tennessee have.
I've also called in a few wrecks, car fires, etc.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
H.B. Elkins mailto:hbel...@mis.net
http://www.users.mis.net/~hbelkins (Updated 7/22/98)
"You must have the courage to believe the truth!" -- Rush H. Limbaugh III
Kentucky Wildcats Basketball & #3 Dale Earnhardt -- A Championship Combination
Say "nyet" to spam -- remove spambuster "y" in address to reply
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ron Newman
> I was on I-276 in Pennsylvania last evening (around 6:30pm), and a truck
> with Oklahoma plates was driving recklessly. Going about 75mph (in a 55
> zone), heavy traffic. He was weaving in and out of traffic like some
> motorcycles do on I-5 in LA. Tailgating too. I thought he'd tip over
> from the speed of his lane changes. I wish I was a trooper! He'd have
> gotten a reckless driving citation at the very least.
>
> My wife and I were both pretty scared by the nut and called *11 on the cell
> phone, which put us in touch with the PA Turnpike authority. They took all
> the information, including our phone number (so we could be witnesses if
> needed).
>
> Do you think I did the right thing in calling this guy in?
Absolutely! You may have saved some lives that day.
--
Ron Newman rne...@thecia.net
http://www2.thecia.net/users/rnewman/
Dan Herrmann
--
Dan Herrmann
dan herrmann wrote in message ...
>I was on I-276 in Pennsylvania last evening (around 6:30pm), and a truck
>with Oklahoma plates was driving recklessly. Going about 75mph (in a 55
>zone), heavy traffic. He was weaving in and out of traffic like some
>motorcycles do on I-5 in LA. Tailgating too. I thought he'd tip over
>from the speed of his lane changes. I wish I was a trooper! He'd have
>gotten a reckless driving citation at the very least.
>
>My wife and I were both pretty scared by the nut and called *11 on the cell
>phone, which put us in touch with the PA Turnpike authority. They took all
>the information, including our phone number (so we could be witnesses if
>needed).
>
Dan Herrmann
particular area at this time was probably between 50-55 mph due to
congestion.
--
Dan Herrmann
John F. Carr wrote in message <6pjbhq$h...@news-central.tiac.net>...
>In article <ke4v1.58$h51.2...@newsread.com>,
>dan herrmann <dher...@chesco.com> wrote:
>>I was on I-276 in Pennsylvania last evening (around 6:30pm), and a truck
>>with Oklahoma plates was driving recklessly. Going about 75mph (in a 55
>>zone), heavy traffic. He was weaving in and out of traffic like some
>>motorcycles do on I-5 in LA.
>
Bill Cohen
>I was on I-276 in Pennsylvania last evening (around 6:30pm), and a
truck
>with Oklahoma plates was driving recklessly. Going about 75mph (in a
55
>zone), heavy traffic. He was weaving in and out of traffic like some
over
>from the speed of his lane changes. I wish I was a trooper! He'd have
>gotten a reckless driving citation at the very least.
>
>My wife and I were both pretty scared by the nut and called *11 on the
cell
>phone, which put us in touch with the PA Turnpike authority. They took
all
>the information, including our phone number (so we could be witnesses
if
>needed).
As a traffic violator school instructor in California, I am sometimes
given safety posts from the state DMV. The guidelines on 911 calls
clearly state that the CHP wants calls like you just described. Also,
considerd serious are items in the road, pedestrians with no reason to be
there 0on freeway of course) and disabled vehicles. I have also called
for unsecured children and had those drivers pulled over too.
They do discourage frivilous calls, examples being requests for traffic
updates, directions, tourist info, and the like.
You clearly did the right thing, I hope they nailed the guy.
I agree with the rest of the string you clearly did the right thing.
-
Bill in California
Overlooking the San Bernardino Freeway
Richard C. Moeur
>
> I was on I-276 in Pennsylvania last evening (around 6:30pm), and a truck
> with Oklahoma plates was driving recklessly. Going about 75mph (in a 55
> zone), heavy traffic. He was weaving in and out of traffic like some
> motorcycles do on I-5 in LA. Tailgating too. I thought he'd tip over
> from the speed of his lane changes. I wish I was a trooper! He'd have
> gotten a reckless driving citation at the very least.
>
> My wife and I were both pretty scared by the nut and called *11 on the cell
> phone, which put us in touch with the PA Turnpike authority. They took all
> the information, including our phone number (so we could be witnesses if
> needed).
>
> it before, but I thought he'd kill somebody.
Yes.
Last week, one of my co-workers was seriously injured when
she was run off the road by a large truck. Her car flipped
and rolled, and was destroyed. We're just glad she's still
alive, and hope she'll be feeling well soon.
For this and other reasons, I carry a land mobile VHF 2-way
radio (either mobile or handheld) with me at all times while
traveling. ADOT has an excellent in-house VHF radio system,
covering the entire state. Also, many states, including AZ,
have many 2 meter wide coverage repeaters as well.
I've lost count of the times I've had to use my radio for
incidents. In fact, on the first leg of our vacation trip
last month, I reported a serious car fire on US 93 near Bagdad
(and then had the dubious honor of closing down the highway
until DPS, Bagdad Fire, and Wikieup Maintenance showed up).
Many parts of Arizona do not have cellular telephone service,
so cell phones are not as good an option in isolated areas.
--
Richard C. Moeur, P.E., N7WTB, E.C.I., whatever...
Practicing Traffic Engineer (I'll get it right someday...)
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
"Life is just one W1-5 after another, until the W14-1"
The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of
the Arizona Department of Transportation. Really.
WWW: http://members.aol.com/rcmoeur/
E-Mail: rcm...@aol.com, NOT rcm...@earthlink.net. Tnx!
Brian A Doreste
Dan Herrmann asked:
>
> I was on I-276 in Pennsylvania last evening (around 6:30pm), and a truck
> with Oklahoma plates was driving recklessly.
> Do you think I did the right thing in calling this guy in? I've never done
> it before, but I thought he'd kill somebody.
Two weeks ago, as I was going to the Newark post office, I noticed a pick-up
truck outside in the parking lot, with half a 30 pack in the bed and an open
container in the cup holder. As I went inside the post office, I noticed the
driver inside as well (who reeked of alcohol), _with_ his son (or so I
presumed). Sure enough, he drove off, and I picked up my cell phone and
called the police. Newark's finest were just around the corner, and they
pulled him over in no time.
There is no need to be drinking _while_ driving at any time, and even more so,
in the middle of the afternoon, with your kids. Anyway...
"Richard C. Moeur" <rcm...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>For this and other reasons, I carry a land mobile VHF 2-way
>radio (either mobile or handheld) with me at all times while
>traveling. ADOT has an excellent in-house VHF radio system,
>covering the entire state. Also, many states, including AZ,
>have many 2 meter wide coverage repeaters as well.
Delaware has recently installed a statewide 800 MHz radio system, that almost
all state and local agencies can utilize. DelDOT is just starting to use the
new radios (which apparently cost $4000 each) I should try to find out more
details on this new system.
>I've lost count of the times I've had to use my radio for
>incidents. In fact, on the first leg of our vacation trip
>last month, I reported a serious car fire on US 93 near Bagdad
>(and then had the dubious honor of closing down the highway
>until DPS, Bagdad Fire, and Wikieup Maintenance showed up).
Yup... I had to close the northbound lanes of the SR 1 Relief Route last
month. Someone was driving northbound in his pick-up, lost control of the
vehicle, and flipped it over in the median (fatal - he wasn't wearing his
seatbelt and was ejected)
The Delaware State Police Fatal Accident Investigation & Reconstruction (FAIR)
team was called to the scene to investigate, and I had to shut down the NB
lanes for about 15 minutes while they ran the skid tests... I detoured the
traffic thru the median cut to the southbound lanes so that they could pick up
US 113 north to US 13 north... people sure get p*ssed off when they have to
make a detour. Well, at least the northbound toll collectors got an
unexpected break!
I always like to keep my orange vest, flag, and a 1/4 gross box of highway
flares in my car, just in case I happen to come across incidents like this.
- brian
Brian A Doreste school email: bdoreste 'at' copland.udel.edu
74 E Cleveland Ave #2 work email: bdoreste 'at' mail.dot.state.de.us
Newark, DE 19711-2247 USA Univ of Delaware Civil Engineering Undergraduate
Usual disclaimers apply Delaware Dept of Transportation - Div of Planning