Hello everyone and the experts. New topic today from me is “ Why don’t the police do anything ?”
2 weeks ago as I was cruising in the right lane on my way to a family gathering, a car in the left lane dangerously merged towards my car ( I believe at first he might not know how to merge properly) and I had to swerve all the way over to the right, coming off the road completely, to avoid the collision. I then tooted the horn and flash my light at the careless driver.
He then went back over to the left lane and a truck in front of him slowed him down. As I was about to pass him, he intentionally swerved over to the right again, forcing me to swerve all the way over to the right, where the road shoulder was.
Then he got around the truck and went back in the left lane. About one mile up the street I caught up to him again and he attempted the same intentional act. So I pulled out my phone and took a photo of his plate then dialed 911.
Someone in the passenger seat of the reckless driver took a photo of my car too ( which confused me ).
About half mile more up the street the reckless driver made a u-turn and headed back down the street. The police met me at a local McDonald restaurant and I reported the issue along with the reckless driver’s license plate.
The next day I contacted the police department to follow up on the case and they told me they couldn’t do anything as they only had my statement.
Unsatisfied, I went to a different police department to report the issue and assured me they would investigate and take proper action. And that they would contact me the next day.
It’s been 2 weeks now and nothing has happened. So I’m thinking here a situation like this is not reportable ?
Same problem with police dept 2, your word against his. Even if they arrest him, there is no evidence. They were just being nice.
In most jurisdictions, even with a dashcam, they will still do nothing because the cam won’t record the driver’s face. So, again, insufficient evidence.
@Clueless33 , you have my sympathy, I detest those drivers. However, you have gotten into a couple of situations that you’ve described, that could have escalated into road rage, especially if the other driver had a gun. Being right means nothing in those situations.
I agree with the above and Texases nailed it, be careful out there, a lot of crazy drivers with road rage…
As far as the Police, they take the report and file it, if they start having multiple reports/complaints (from different people) then they will be able to do something about it… The driver was probably on drugs or drinking and not in their right state of mind making them very dangerous, best to pick your battles and this type of thing is not one of them… Sadly it could of even turned into a hate crime… Again, just be careful…
I was stopped at a 4-way stop sign, police stopped on the other side, bicyclist (probably from local high school on way home) went right through the intersection, didn’t stop, didn’t even slow down. Police watched it happen, but took no action.
Even so, the suggestions above to accept that " it is what it is", and when this sort of thing happens again, which it will, to not do anything that might escalate the situation, that is probably still your best bet. If you feel something must be done, take that issue to your local elected politicos, not the police or the other driver.
I can’t believe you folks actually read this. I read far enough for the horn tooting and light flashing. In Minnesota it is illegal to flash your lights. And only horn blowing to warn someone, not afterwards. Police are busy enough without this kind of stuff. Now I will admit I stereotype drivers that are around me and I just avoid the ones that creep along, look like they don’t know where they are going, or show other signs of bad driving. Actually I’m pretty accurate, like the lady I was just behind.
On that day I felt personally targeted, and I worried about the same things you are concerned about. I wondered if bullets would fly through the dark tinted windows of the reckless driver’s if I had followed him so the cops would eventually catch up to us.
Thanks everyone for the insight. I didn’t know the police would be useless in cases like these. Next time I’ll know.
It’s not a useless thing as much as it’s an evidence thing… Your neighbor or coworker could say you did the same thing to them if they wanted too out of spite, and you wouldn’t want the police taken you to jail over a false statement, it takes evidence… It is documented now, so if it is reported again then the police have witnesses…
“In California, for example, a person on a bike is considered a pedestrian in certain situations.”
Certain situations? Sort of unclear. In your opinion based on the article posted, was the bicyclist who rode straight through the 4-way stop sign intersection without even slowing down, as mentioned above, within their legal rights to do that? ie. police would not be allowed to prevent them from doing that in Calif?
If there is murder, and you are a witness, and your security camera records it too, the police won’t do anything beause they have to see it? I doubt they’ll say that.
If you stay in your lane, under the right circumstances the car on your left will spin right when it hits you and crash off the road on the right.
With today’s ability to make deep fakes, I’m happy if video footage alone can’t convict someone.
The other driver might have a dash cam showing what your driving did to provoke him, then lied to the police about taking revenge.
In cases of road rage that I have observed, the driver acting as the victim seemed to be unaware of the hazard he caused for the other driver, to set him off.
