Wreckless driving? Me?? No way!

[mhood]

Yea, the dropping to 3rd at 65 to pass is fun and all but have you actually looked down to see how fast you're going when you get around them?



Don't ask me how I know but there are laser equipped LEOs who will write you tickets for using that power when passing. The fact that you immediately slow down to the speed limit after the pass means nothing when they clock you at your fastest passing speed.

[aldaron327]

Originally Posted by Mr_Draco

In NC, if you call in they get an officer to follow that vehicle as any kind of vehicular violation can not be ticketed without an actual officer witnessing the event.

Yep. True Statement.

I had a lady do that to me back in 99 when I passed her in a passing zone. She kept getting on my back bumper and I kept speeding up. Finally, I got sick of her riding my butt (and did I mention she had a baby in the back in a car seat?!) so I just left her. About 20 minutes after I got home, I got a call from a NC State Trooper threatening to come arrest me if I didn't come down to the gas station about 5 miles from my house. I showed up and there was this woman. The trooper asked me to get in the car with them and when I did, she launched into a tirade about how wrecklessly I had been driving. The trooper calmed her down and then asked for my side of the story. I told him that I had passed her in a passing zone while using my blinker, but she had decided to pass the guy in front of her and without looking swerved over when I was beside her, nearly running me off the road (The Truth). I told him that then she kept riding my bumper no matter how much I sped up but wouldn't pass me when I tried to slow down (also true). Then she changed her story and said that she didn't see me come up on her back bumper (because I was going so fast, supposedly) and attempted to change lanes around this guy hauling a trailer and that it startled her because I was passing her at such a rapid rate.

I told the trooper that if the woman was so convinced I'd nearly killed her and her "grandbaby", then she wouldn't have been riding my bumper. I also said that since I worked for a beer distributor and often had the scent of beer on me from work, I didn't like to attract attention to myself on the drive home because I didn't want to get hassled with getting stopped and then having the added suspicion of intoxication added to whatever I was getting stopped for. Then he told her that he couldn't arrest or ticket me without multiple witnesses seeing what had happened.

I smiled, thanked him, and then turned back to the lady and said, "Ma'am. I'm sorry that you felt like I threatened your life back there on the road. I was half-tempted to call you in for riding my bumper the way you were. I'm not going to disclose how fast we ended up going to protect both of us, but you and I both know that if you were THAT concerned for your "Grandbaby", you wouldn't have kept chasing me, especially not in your Civic on a 2 lane road like that. In the future, I'd ask that you not only pay attention to what's ahead of you, but maybe look behind you because if you couldn't spot a nearly 2 ton CAR behind you, you would never see a Motorcyclist and you likely would have killed him."

Since she was the dispatcher for the Forsyth Country Sherrif's department, she said that she was going to make my life miserable after that, and she sure did try. For about a month, I had Forsyth Country Sherrifs in black B4C Camaros following my Z28 home from my workplace EVERY DAY. One day, I pulled off at a convenience store and the deputy tailing me followed me into the parking lot and just sat there. When I came out with a Coke for me AND him, I walked up to his car. He lowered the window and I said, "Since you think it's necessary to follow me home every day, I figured you might also be thirsty. Oh, by the way, I hope y'all don't mind, but I've been taping you and your buddies following me home so that I can add this to the evidence in the lawsuit I'm going to launch against So and So about harrassment." The deputy said, "Sir, I'm just doing my job. We were told to watch out for your car for speeding or passing illegally." I just sighed and said, "I know what this is about and who you're doing it for. Since I haven't had a ticket or been in an accident in 4 years and since no formal charges were filed in the particular incident which led to this, maybe you're just doing a favor for a friend. Either way, I think it's harrassment and so does my lawyer. Have a great day, Sir!" I hopped back into my car, left the parking lot to continue the 1/2 hour drive home and low-and-behold, he turned off and went the other way. After that, they didn't follow me home anymore.

[RedJewel2SS]

unless they have concrete proof, like a video tape or multiple witnesses of you driving wrecklessly, all you had to say was, "i have no idea what your talking about. maybe the guy thought i was driving wrecklessly, because i was in a sports car"

your word against theirs never holds up in court.

[Mark Myles]

Originally Posted by RubyCamaro

I had just gotten out of the shower, wet hair & a short robe on. There was suddenly a loud knock on the door. My husband & son were not up yet so I went to the bedroom window & peeked out. It was a law enforcement officer. I opened the door a crack & spoke to him. He identified himself as an officer from the local sherrif's dept & said he was looking for the driver of "that red Camaro over there" I said "that would be me". He went on to explain that an older gentelman had called & wanted to swear out a warrant for wreckless driving on me!

After reading this, I must assume the officer showed up the next day to your door in the morning..??....a day AFTER the alleged incident..??

I'm sorry, but regardless of what State you live in, if it were me in your shoes, I would have told the officer that "he must be mistaken and to have a nice day", then politely close the door. But that's just me.

M

[Bell040]

sad thing is...

If you were driving a minivan, you wouldn't of had a police officer at your door.

[Caspers2SSRS]

In South Carolina its common occurance that drivers speed up whenever they are being passed legally and then slow down. There are other drivers driving the posted speeds as well lower than posted speeds on four lane hwys there that will either ride in the left lane as though they own them and will not utilize the right lane even if theres no one in it, others jabbering on their cell phones while crusing along below posted limits, many others obviously blocking clear passage to drivers trying to utilize the left lane.................... Even drivers who are trying to pass in as curtious manner as possible, using a quick flash of their headlamps or a gentle bump on the horn are generally ignored......................

The state wised up and added more tooth to the impeding traffic statutes. I recall one media report where one of those self employed traffic blockers complained about being ticketed themselves after dialing 911 because someone was right on there bumper, they themselves were cited for hendering the free flow of traffic. They pleaded their case by their letting everyone know that they believed it was their right to keep passing motorists at bay so long they were doing the posted speed limit.

How Wrong they were, and as public hwy traffic saftey official explained that no matter, what these blockers beliefs were, if another driver were trying to pass or utilize the left lane and were driving above the speed limit while doing so, it was not the blockers responsibilty to slow them, and in addition their actions and tactics alone were found to be the number one cause of the inordinate number of local roadway accidents, death and injury, as well they were constantly inflaming other motorist, a known trigger that set the events of many cases of road rage into action.

[OUTATIME]

That sucks, man. If the cop comes back, tell him you WERE driving wrecklessly . . . YOU DRIVE WITHOUT WRECKING THINGS!!

[Steve Dallas]

Wreckless driving would be a good thing. Reckless driving, on the other hand....

[rydahog]

Originally Posted by Mark Myles

After reading this, I must assume the officer showed up the next day to your door in the morning..??....a day AFTER the alleged incident..??

I'm sorry, but regardless of what State you live in, if it were me in your shoes, I would have told the officer that "he must be mistaken and to have a nice day", then politely close the door. But that's just me.

M

i am with you in my life here on earth, i have learned one thing,,,never volunteer anything to a cop...and if there are not witness or picts/? fagetaboutit... have fun!! ride safe..

ohh yeah p.s. what was the final outcome??? keep us in the loop.

[CamaroMeltdown]

Originally Posted by Jeremeymt

Its like those damn red light cameras we have too. I got caught in the middle of an intersection because I suddenly realized a cop was coming through with blue lights flashing. Well the light turned red and FLASH FLASH FLASH off went the cameras taking a picture of my license plate! Thankfully I got out of that one!

I know! Those cameras suck!

[Napper]

Bullcrap.

most state laws clearly say an officer must witness it.

Even if out of his jurisdiction he can relay the sighting to an officer with jurisdiction.
then it could be something..

A civilian......LMAO you had nothing to worry about.

Does he even know what technically is reckless driving?

If soemone passes you, uses there signal and passes in a passing Zone.
then ,even if you had a loud exhuast and startled him,it is a legal pass.



this is why civilian complaints are taken with a grain of Salt when it come to traffic.

OP, just pass as you see fit.

Johnny law scared you. just in case it was true.

He had ZERO authority. You should have shut the door on him.

So tired of civilian authorities . You were never in any danger of anything.

[Bonanza7]

I don't know about where you live, but in most places I know of, a ticket can't be issued unless the cop saw it happen. Otherwise, anyone who wanted to could cause a ticket to be issued. That would be nutso.

[HDDAN]

It happened to me on my Harley, same situation. At the first light after I passed him, I saw him taking my picture with his cell phone. I yelled for him to pull over and he wouldn't so I followed him until he stopped. When I confronted him, (he was much younger than me and bigger too. I am 64)he told me that he was turning me in to the authorities. I laughed at him and pulled out my cell and snapped a picture of his license plate. He freaked out and said "what are you doing?" and I explained that while he was reporting me to "the authorities", I would be finding out who he was and where he lived. I heard nothing else on this issue. In Massachusetts, the cop must see you commit the offence.

[zirotti]

People are idiots.