# Citizens reporting on bad drivers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 26, 2006, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citizens-reporting-on-bad-drivers/354304 "2006-04-26T16:27:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citizens-reporting-on-bad-drivers/354304/1 "2006-04-26T16:27:10Z")
I already know this sounds crazy, but I swear I read about this a couple of years ago. Perhaps someone knowledgeable can confirm that I’m right (or crazy). I had an incident this morning where another driver cut me off in a very dangerous way, subsequently ran a red light, and then she and I had a verbal confrontation afterward (no, I didn’t run the red light to catch up to her – it was coincidence that we arrived at the same location later on). At any rate, I was royally ticked, but there’s nothing the police can do about it because I was the only witness to the incident. As I was thinking this over later, I recalled that I’d seen somewhere that one could report a bad driver to the DMV (I’m in California). My recollection is that the DMV would then note the report and offer the alleged bad driver a chance to tell their side via written response, and that a judgment would be made by the DMV from there as to whether to keep such a note on the driver’s record. The two attorneys I mentioned this to said that while such a system isn’t impossible, it would be an administrative nightmare for the DMV, not to mention how likely such a system would be abused and subject to fraud. I can’t argue with that logic, and I can’t find any information on the DMV’s website about a way to make such a complaint. And yet, I still think I’ve heard of it. Anyone else have any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citizens-reporting-on-bad-drivers/354304/2 "2006-04-26T16:58:51Z")
I’ve heard stories about this sort of thing, but I also can’t imagine how such a system could possibly work in the real world. Aside from the massive possibility for misuse, what would they do if you reported someone, and the guy said “I don’t know what you’re talking about. **Asimovian** must have written down the license plate wrong.” Who are they going to believe? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citizens-reporting-on-bad-drivers/354304/3 "2006-04-26T17:09:47Z")
I am pretty sure that I have been reported at various times in my life in a few states. It was more along the lines of drag racing, fleeing a scene, stunt driving, or various other mayhem. I know from others that the police gave a brief look around but there has never been a letter, phone call, or visit from anyone. Hellion friends never got anything either. I have also reported people and I doubt anything happened. I know people in our neighborhood have reported the one bad apple family around for dra racing at 3:00 am yet they still do it. Unless you actually damage something or hurt somebody it is just a matter of if they catch you right away or you get off scott free. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citizens-reporting-on-bad-drivers/354304/4 "2006-04-26T18:46:37Z")
A related question. If I am driving and I spot someone who is obviously drunk and dangerous on the road, is there anything I can do other than try not to get hit? Can I report them to the police and actually have anything come of it? I ask because just the other day I drove past someone who was very impaired, and should have been taken off the road before they killed themselves (they kept running the side of their car into the shoulder of the highway, and I am sure they would have eventually driven off an overpass or crashed into those yellow runaway vehicle barrels). They were easy enough to spot, but is there anything I can do since cops never seem to be around when these people are on the road? ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citizens-reporting-on-bad-drivers/354304/5 "2006-04-26T18:57:34Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > A related question. If I am driving and I spot someone who is obviously drunk and dangerous on the road, is there anything I can do other than try not to get hit? Can I report them to the police and actually have anything come of it? [Yes](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=369046). ---
**Author:** ![Level3Navigator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Level3Navigator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Level3Navigator)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citizens-reporting-on-bad-drivers/354304/6 "2006-04-26T18:58:25Z")
In Utah, they say the following (your state might have something similar): [http://highwaypatrol.utah.gov/faq.html#Aggressive%20Drivers](http://highwaypatrol.utah.gov/faq.html#Aggressive%20Drivers) ---
**Author:** ![Level3Navigator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Level3Navigator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Level3Navigator)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citizens-reporting-on-bad-drivers/354304/7 "2006-04-26T18:59:34Z")
I should have quoted. Sorry. > [@](#): > > What should I do if I see a person driving recklessly or aggressively? > > If you believe the person’s driving presents a significant risk to the safety of others, you should call 911 on your cell phone, if you have one, and give the dispatcher a description of the vehicle, the license number and state, and location and direction of travel. The dispatcher will attempt to have a trooper or other law enforcement officer intercept the hazardous driver. > > Some people are so concerned with the hazardous driving of others that they want to personally sign a complaint against the other driver and have them charged with an offense like reckless driving. In order to do this, a person must be able to positively identify the driver and be willing to go to court and testify under oath that the person they have identified committed the offense. Most people can’t positively identify the driver or don’t have the time to devote to this process, so it is usually best to report the observation and let the police take things from there. Never attempt to stop or confront the driver of a vehicle being driven recklessly. From the above site. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citizens-reporting-on-bad-drivers/354304/8 "2006-04-26T19:04:02Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > what would they do if you reported someone, and the guy said “I don’t know what you’re talking about. **Asimovian** must have written down the license plate wrong.” Who are they going to believe? If you included the make/model and color of the car along with the license plate, that claim wouldn’t be particularly believable. Not that that would keep people from reporting those they just didn’t happen to like (or blowing a minor traffic infraction out of proportion). ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citizens-reporting-on-bad-drivers/354304/9 "2006-04-26T19:17:25Z")
I can recall two cases where we reported bad or dangerous drivers. One was a car full of teenagers that was weaving around in front of us, when we tried to pass in the second lane they’d pull over and cut us off, etc. I called the cops with the license plate number, and later got a call back from the cops saying that somebody’s dad had had a stern word with his kid. The other one was a guy pulling a trailer with no lights, flags, etc., a woman in the trailer waving and yelling (not as if she were kidnapped, but just being weird and making noise), and car and trailer basically weaving back and forth, going really slow, and blocking traffic across a two-lane bridge. When Mr. S briefly tooted the horn at him, he STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BRIDGE, GOT OUT OF HIS CAR, and walked back to yell at us through the window. Meanwhile traffic is stacking up behind us on the bridge (in the middle of the city, rush hour, just before a major intersection). We kept telling him to just go back to his car, get moving, and quit blocking traffic, but he just stayed and yelled. Finally he went back to his car and took off, driving the same. We reported him to the cops (by description and approximate destination only; no plate visible!). Never heard what became of that, although they said they’d check it out, at least talk to the guy. ---
**Author:** ![Bongmaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Bongmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bongmaster)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citizens-reporting-on-bad-drivers/354304/10 "2006-04-26T19:54:31Z")
> [@Scarlett67](#): > > . Never heard what became of that, although they said they’d check it out, at least talk to the guy. Wow, that has to be frustrating. One of my pet peeves is bad drivers and I’d love a way to report them that was actually effective. Of course it would get abused in about .00023 seconds so I don’t know how practical it would be. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citizens-reporting-on-bad-drivers/354304/11 "2006-04-26T21:15:41Z")
I appreciate all the responses. I should point out that I understand there’s a huge distinction between reporting an incident to the police vs. reporting to the DMV. In my particular case, the reckless driving was short-lived, and I didn’t have a chance to talk to the local PD about it until almost two hours later. There was nothing they could do about it other than to “document” what I had to say (those quotes were verbal quotes by the officer I spoke to on the phone, who said he couldn’t actually take a “report” per se). **Level3Navigator** , thank you for the information. I have to assume that if such a program existed, I would have been informed of it by the officer I spoke to. But it’s still worth looking into. In this case, I would be willing to pursue the issue. The woman in question added to her bad driving by making what could\* be construed as a racist comment directed at me, and I assure you that I’d have no trouble facing her in court if the opportunity arose. At any rate, like Scarlett67 and others, my wife and I have had no qualms about reporting bad drivers to the police while we were witnessing their stupidity. \*There are a number of ways her comment might have been interpreted, but the four people I mentioned it to immediately said they thought the same thing that I did. ---
**Author:** ![Vevila](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@Vevila](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vevila)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citizens-reporting-on-bad-drivers/354304/12 "2006-04-26T21:38:44Z")
In Colorado, we have a hotline to report aggressive drivers. [From this article:](http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4316764,00.html) > [@](#): > > Nearly 49,000 reports of dangerous lane changes, tailgating, and obscene gestures poured into the Colorado State Patrol during the fiscal year ending in June, up 50 percent in six years. The figures include an unknown number of drunken drivers reported by cell phone. > > The Colorado State Patrol sends out letters…after a motorist has been the subject of three complaints of aggressive driving. > > After a fourth report of reckless driving, a second warning letter is mailed out. > > A fifth report brings the final warning letter and a patrol officer follows up by meeting with the car’s owner, observing that person’s driving, or issuing a citation, said Trooper Eric Wynn. The entire article is about a reported aggressive driver who ended up causing an accident that killed two people. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citizens-reporting-on-bad-drivers/354304/13 "2006-04-26T22:14:28Z")
I don’t know if it’s available elsewhere, but in Ohio if you think someone is driving drunk you can call 1-800-GRAB-DUI. ---
**Author:** ![Merhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Merhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merhouse)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citizens-reporting-on-bad-drivers/354304/14 "2006-04-26T22:47:50Z")
In NJ we can dial #77 from a cell phone (which cannot be hand held) while driving to report an aggressive driver. Thankfully I’ve not had occasion to use it, so I don’t know how well it works. ---
**Author:** ![Omegaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2006, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citizens-reporting-on-bad-drivers/354304/15 "2006-04-26T22:56:40Z")
In Nevada it’s \* DUI . I have used it on several occasions . I can’t guarantee that the person was drunk but driving like an ass none the less. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citizens-reporting-on-bad-drivers/354304/16 "2006-04-27T08:05:56Z")
hmmm what if you had a camera in the car that was running? I ask because I do this alot, I make videos for use in my classes (I teach defensive driving) and I have a ton of footage of people breaking the law/acting way to aggressive/being dumbasses not that I have plans to start turning people in but I suppose if the offense was bad enough I might. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citizens-reporting-on-bad-drivers/354304/17 "2006-04-27T12:55:02Z")
It would be sort of ironic if, while using your cellphone to report a drunk driver, you veered off the road and crashed. I can also imagine a chain of crashes where someone uses a cellphone to report a driver who is swerving recklessly because she’s preoccupied on the cellphone, another cellphone user reports the second guy, etc… A related question - do people bother reporting trucker misbehavior using those 1-800 numbers, and does anything ever come of it (including harassment of the reporting party by the trucker as in some TV movie I once saw)? ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citizens-reporting-on-bad-drivers/354304/18 "2006-04-27T13:30:38Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > A related question - do people bother reporting trucker misbehavior using those 1-800 numbers, and does anything ever come of it (including harassment of the reporting party by the trucker as in some TV movie I once saw)? But they always have some stupid code that you can’t remember, like Canadian postal codes. Unit number 1L5 Z8P? It’d be much easier if they used the free-AOL-disk approach: “unit number ‘monkey-spanker’” or “unit number ‘followed-accurate’” or something else simple to remember. No, the 800-f_c_-you number that I see on occasional, while easy to remember, doesn’t work. What’s up with that? ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2006, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citizens-reporting-on-bad-drivers/354304/19 "2006-04-27T19:47:32Z")
The Washington State Patrol has [an online web form](http://www.wsp.wa.gov/traveler/agdrvng.htm) to report aggressive drivers. Of course, they prefer you call 911. We used the online web form to report two drivers playing cat and mouse through traffic (city and highway). Ironically, their racing and weaving through traffic never got them very far because we managed to stay within the speed limit and catch up to them at every traffic light. We got great deascriptions of the vehicles, drivers and passengers, and described about a dozen violations to boot. > [@Jackmannii](#): > > A related question - do people bother reporting trucker misbehavior using those 1-800 numbers, and does anything ever come of it (including harassment of the reporting party by the trucker as in some TV movie I once saw)? I called one of those numbers once. The operator was very thorough in asking detailed questions about the incident. It was a van driven by 20-something male who was completely oblivious to the rules of the road and anyone around him. He wasn’t hard to track either because of the traffic. ---
**Author:** ![beckiemoriello](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@beckiemoriello](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beckiemoriello)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2006, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citizens-reporting-on-bad-drivers/354304/20 "2006-04-29T18:13:59Z")
> [@](#): > > I called one of those numbers once. The operator was very thorough in asking detailed questions about the incident. Good to know. I called once, told the operator the truck had cut me off, and that was it. No questions. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citizens-reporting-on-bad-drivers/354304.md?page=2)