Dropping a Dime, on your neighbor?

Hi,
Here’s the story, lately I’ve become tired of watching drivers that break the law: illeagle lane changes; following too close; using a cellular phone whilst driving, etc. I have started reporting these people to the authorities via 911, oh I also call the employers of drivers if possible and inform them of their employees poor behavior. For instance I called one delivery trucks company and reported the driver for following too close at a high rate of speed, oh yes before I go further let me state I only do this when the malfeasant driver is impacting me,in other words I am not trying to be a Highway hero and report every errant driver that I see. I would like to hear from any 911 employees wether or not there is any follow up when I call and report someone and am able to supply a lic. plate number, or does my report go directly to the circular file?
Please keep in mind i don’t call at the drop of a hat , when I call these peolpe have done somethiong that is totally agains the law.
I would also like to see responses from other Board Members about their thoughts on this.

Here in Ontario there is a number to report bad drivers - it’s not 911 but honestly I don’t remember what it is. They ran ads with it a couple years ago but I didn’t add it to my phone but I’ve wished that I had a couple of times.

I’m amazed that someone would call 911 in order to report someone driving while talking on their cellphone or illegal lane changes. What exactly is the emergency that you’re reporting?? I’ve tried to call 911 a couple times after witnessing ugly accidents here in Los Angeles only to get nothing but busy signals. Were the operators tied up handling jaywalking calls?

About how many times a month/year are you calling 911?

Was each time to report a life-or-death situation?

I doubt they would do anything in Milwaukee. The last few times I called in a (suspected) drunk driver I was blown off. After explaining to 911 that I was behind someone on the freeway going 45 in a 65, swerving, driving in the breakdown lane, almost hitting the wall or other drivers etc etc etc. They responded with “Thank you, we’ll send an officer out” and never even asked where I was. This has happened on several occasions. I mentioned it to a friend who said she called in a drunk driver and they did exactly the same thing to her. I can’t imagine they would bother chasing down someone who changed lanes without a blinker.
Now, this is going to be totally location dependent. This happened in a city that often times doesn’t even respond to burglar alarm calls or bartenders calling because they need help with a disorderly patron. OTOH, in the suburb I work in, calling 911 for just about anything will result in at least three squads showing up within 5 minutes. I’d imagine they’d be much more receptive to a 911 call about a drunk driver…I still doubt they’d be to worried about someone following to close. There’s just not much they can do about it if they don’t see it themselves.

For ,Rowe and SubliminaLiar, in this area 911 is the number to dial when one wants to report a crime , it is because there is a central dispacth system that the different jurisdictions subscribe to, in hthe event one is calling to report something that is less serious then an accident they simply state ,when the 911 operator answers , that, “this is not an emergency.” The operator then routes the call to the proper athority, be it the local police or the state troopes.

If you’re calling while driving to report someone on their cell phone aren’t you also breaking the law?

I seriously doubt anything is being done. And you’re wasting 911 resources with this mickey mouse shit. Following too closely? In your jurisdiction is there even a set distance? Where I live there isn’t a set distance, it’s a determination made by a police officer. I guess there has to be Jr. Mods of the Highway, too. :rolleyes:

I’ll ask again:

About how many times a month/year are you calling 911?

Sometimes anxiety disorders can manifest themselves in this overwhelming need to control other drivers. Maybe this is what’s going on with you?

In my jurisdiction, improper use of 911 is a misdemeanor offense, and I’m pretty sure you’re on the borderline of committing it.

I know we also have a police non-emergency number, and I’d guess most police departments have the same. Program it in your phone if you feel like being a futile vigilante.

Are you serious? Do you send the police photos of people parked in handicapped spots, too?

To address Red Skeezix, If at 60 mph on the freeway I can look in my rear view mirror and see the driver behind me talking on a cellular phone , he was less than 2 car lenghts from my rear bumper, that driver is too close and not paying proper attention to their driving, had I been forced to apply my brakes there was nothing to stop that vehicle from compounding an already bad situation.

SubliminaLiar, I don’t know how many times I have called 911, in the past .

I would like to add that I use a hands free device when I call while driving, or I pull to the side of the road and stop if I don’t have use of a hands free device. I don’t drive around reporting speeders or jaywalkers or people throwing stuff out their window, thogh sometimes I feel that I should report people that throw burning objects i.e. cigar cigerettes. more then once there has been a brush fire caused by that. Perhaps in my original post I should have said unsafe drivers.I limit my calls to unsafe drivers.

You should know that using a hands-free device does not reduce the risk of talking on the phone while driving very much. It’s the distraction, not the holding of the phone. Now please go report yourself to your local police station.

So should I be forbidden to talk to passengers while I’m driving, too?

Many studies have proven this- it’s not my opinion, but fact. But thanks for your contribution, as always.

I wasn’t questioning the assertion that hands-free devices are just as unsafe as the alternatives. I was asking if I should be forbidden to talk to passengers while I’m driving.

I’ve got a uselessness quota to fill.

For Alice the Goon,
Using a handsfree device is not against the law here, using a cellular with out is a primary offense.

Some people don’t think it’s mickey mouse shit when someone nearly kills them. If you’re tailgating and cutting people off at high speeds and not crashing, you’re lucky, not a good driver.

I’ve been driven off the highway three times. It’s not pleasant.

And - although I am not the OP - yes, there is a defined distance a driver is supposed to keep, one car length for every ten miles per hours. In actual practice, the rules are a bit looser:

If you are not riding your brake, you should see the driver’s grill (do cars still have grills?) in your rear view; at street speeds, the license plate; at highway speeds, the tires.

And, yes, you should use your blinkers, so, I don’t know, maybe the car you’re cutting off doesn’t slam into your sorry back end, block the two left hand lanes, and make me an hour late for work?

All that being said, I never called an emergency line to report a single violation.

It may not be against the law, but it’s still dangerous. You are, therefore, exactly what you rail against- an unsafe driver. I’ve called the police station, and they are awaiting your arrival to confess.