I never would have thought to ask this question in this forum until I heard an episode of Car Talk where the brothers advised someone to sneak over to their neighbor’s house at night and reset his spark plug gaps to keep him from doing something obnoxious (I missed that part) and it seemed like they were serious. In any case, starting at 9-10 AM every Sunday, motorcycles and cars speed past my house because it sits on a nice 1 mile straight stretch of rural road. The sheriff was no help–told me to organize neighbors to petition for speed bumps. I admit some days I have fantasies about scattering tacks and stretching wires because it’s so disruptive. Any other suggestions?
A lawn chair and a cooler of your favorite beverage? (In a reasonably safe spectating location).
Write down license plate numbers of the vehicles involved. If possible also match the license plate numbers to a vehicle description (red Ford Mustang, white Chevy Camaro, etc.)
Note down the date and time that this occurred
Then call the Sheriff again. Tell him the information you have. If he gives you a load of BS, tell him you are thinking of filing a complaint against the department for incompetence, and because they aren’t doing their job
The speed bumps are a good idea . . . but it won’t work. I’m speaking from experience here. There are some speed demons that occasionally drive down my street, and the speed bumps don’t deter them in the least
You may also want to consider contacting your local councilman, or whatever he calls himself
If the sheriff puts his foot down and says he won’t do squat, contact your local newspaper and explain the situation. Don’t forget to mention that you gave license plate numbers to the Sheriff, and he doesn’t care.
Take video of the drag racing and send it to the local tv station with info about exactly when you contacted whom in the sheriff’s dept and what they said about doing nothing.
But first I’d show the video to the sheriff’s dept so they can see and hear just how disruptive the drag racing is. Give them a chance to do something. If they won’t, then go to the media.
Apparently your Sheriff has forgotten that they are an ELECTED official!
I agree with @Marnet. Video…especially video with license plate numbers…will probably do the trick. Just make sure that you take the video from a safe location and not your front yard.
I used this technique once when I was stationed in Maine. My security police neighbors never got tickets when their cars were left in the snowplow lanes but mine along with my non security police neighbors did. I just went out and took video of all the vehicles and the tickets on the windshields. A quick call to the security police (with a brief mention of my video) and all the tickets were quickly cancelled for some reason or another.
P.S. I would have moved my vehicle but there was no snow when I parked it. It snowed early in the morning and the snowplows run at 3AM. I didn’t discover the tickets until 6:30AM on my way to work.
In addition, get yourself a light bar, park it in the street and turn the flashing lights on. Otherwise, video sent to law enforcement and a copy of the state malfeasance statute.
Videos combined with using the newspaper your apparently dirt-lazy sheriff might work. Set up a video security system at your house first, however, just in case you get some repercussions.
The repercussions would be from the sheriff’s department, not the drag racers
Fortunately, sheriffs are not exempt from the laws…
I’m sure that the sheriff, and probably his son or other relatives like to use that strip of road for their own amusement.
Perhaps the sheriff and his relatives are the ones drag racing . . .
"The speed bumps are a good idea . . . but it won’t work. "
That completely depends on the speed bumps. In a neighboring town the locals did partition for bumps. They work 90% of the time. Now if you want one hundred percent compliance, you won’t get it doing anything. And if you don’t partition, I guarantee nothing will happen. If the sheriff made the suggestion, do it or at least try it. With all due respect, it’s a local matter and every town will respond differently and your town may actually respond with adequately made bumps.
Something that could be dangerous and could lead to a confrontation but it worked for us many years ago when I was young and (more)foolish. I lived in exactly the same situation as you with several motorcycle riders who would routinely speed by at the same time every week end. Because I rode a motorcycle, I knew this would work. We made a sign saying, "lawn watering, streets dangerous when wet’ . We then put several sprinklers near the road. They failed to heed the sign one day and one of them hit a wall of water while speeding by and came to a screeching halt. There was a bit of a screaming match going on but we made sure they knew that every time we heard them coming, it was time to sprinkle the lawns.
Today, I would not follow through with anything so dangerous, but just let them see several neighbors all out at the same time with a hose, all watering their lawns. That in itself might be a deterrent. No one need ever follow through, but at least to a motorcycle rider, the threat of a wall of water will give them pause.
“1 mile straight stretch of rural road”
I don’t think speed bumps are going to do it on a rural road unless the speed limit is 15 mph. You also have to be a little careful what you do for liability reasons.
@lisa Mae
You must live in Indiana in the same county I do. Our sheriffs dept. is absolutely useless here too, and it lowers the quality of life here to the point they cannot attract decent people to the area and they wonder why. The drugs and crime our out of control here and its just not in my head, there was a whole writeup about it in the local newspaper last week, Its just as bad as Chicago or Newyork, just on a smaller scale.
The drag racing will probably continue until someone gets killed. In my county you can do just about anything you want and not have any intervention from johhny law. I had an unlicensed driver wreck and flip his truck and damage my property to the tune of 6200 bucks and the cop didn’t even give him a ticket.
If you choose to use vigilante justice, such as setting out spike strips or the like, make sure no one can trace it back to you, which in this day and age is hard. Digging a big pothole in the road would be a good deterrent, see how good those sobs can dodge one at high speed.
Now sometimes around here when people are on their way to illegally dump their trash, a board with nails in it falls out on the road. It would be a shame if the drag racers hit a board with nails in it that accidentally fell out of someones truck, Of course it would be a shame if someone else hit it as well.
Me, I would add to the excitement, drag racing is awesome, and what would be awesomer than drag racing thru flames like a stunt man. I would pour gas all over the street and when they are coming light it up, but that would be dangerous because if it blew up their car you would be liable if they could trace it back to you.
Many people on these boards have no idea how bad the lack of any law enforcement is in some rural areas. Its actually a total joke, there needs to be some degree of enforcement and its very frustrating and detrimental not having any.
Are there any spots for a 4 way stop? You could petition your local alderman for a 4 way stop and enforcement during problem hours.
Are there any spots for a 4 way stop? You could petition your local alderman for a 4 way stop and enforcement during problem hours.
Thats a great idea, except in a rural setting where I live you would have to contact the county commissioner, and even if they did put a stop sign up the drag racers would likely blow it.
Asking for enforcement around where I live and likely where the OP lives is not going to happen. She told the sheriff when and where a crime is occurring and they simply don’t/won’t/can’t care.
There are places such as where I live where there is NO law enforcement of any kind. We have an ordinance here that you cannot ride atvs on county roads. I used to obey it, but now I ride the roads like everyone else. You simply will not get caught. There is no speed enforcement in my county, no drunk driving enforcement, the only time meth labs get caught is when they blow up and set a house on fire.
You can also “accidentally” dump a few wheelbarrow load of crushed rock (fell off a truck) in spots and spread it out. Or if you know the time when the “racers” start, have a few cans of cheap paint fell off a truck before they get there…
I am getting meaner… I should stop…
Cinder blocks are cheap and plentiful; just leave a few unmolested blocks out in the middle of the road. Or some 2x4s or used tires. Or, if you had some quiet(subsonic) rounds, a .22lr round to a couple tires from a distance.
The problem with setting booby traps is that:
A. Some innocent may be killed or injured. See below about legalities.
B. If some street racer is killed or injured due to booby traps it’s entirely possible that the person setting those traps will be sued or prosecuted under criminal law even if the person involved in the racing was breaking the law.