# Dropping a Dime, on your neighbor? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 19, 2010, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-dime-on-your-neighbor/550684 "2010-08-19T00:25:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-dime-on-your-neighbor/550684/101 "2010-08-20T00:08:07Z")
> [@NadaHappyCamper](#): > > OK, If you are on MY ROAD, and I see you driving in an unsafe, erratic ,manner Is this post just trolling for grammar and style corrections? I don’t really care about these things, but I’m wondering if they’re done on purpose. There’s a _lot_ in that post. ---
**Author:** ![ToborAton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/57b2e6/32.png) [@ToborAton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToborAton)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-dime-on-your-neighbor/550684/102 "2010-08-20T00:11:32Z")
I have read the whole thread and I am going to say something nobody else has said but I don’t have much time to say it and I don’t really have much of a belief that it will change your mind so I’m not going to bother trying to argue the point and will instead just tell you what I think and hope you start driving safely. Driving is much more dangerous than you think and I really wish you would pay better attention to the road. I agree with the people who have claimed that using a hands free cell phone while driving might be legal but it isn’t smart but that is not my main issue. My _main_ issue is with your being distracted by all the cognitive effort you spend constantly scanning the roads for offenders. Driving, despite the statistical risks, can easily make people feel bored and stop paying attention. Whether you are willing to admit here or even to yourself, you get a kick out of the bit of drama to alleviate the boredom by reporting offenders to the police and that is what feeds your distraction. I really wish you would try to catch your mind wandering away from safe driving and onto offending drivers by trying to pay more attention to your situation. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-dime-on-your-neighbor/550684/103 "2010-08-20T00:15:12Z")
In other words, check _yourself before you wreck yourself_, literally. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-dime-on-your-neighbor/550684/104 "2010-08-20T00:16:27Z")
This is [how I envision](http://crm114.tripod.com/dragnet/gregg.jpg) the OP. ---
**Author:** ![NadaHappyCamper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/278dde/32.png) [@NadaHappyCamper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NadaHappyCamper)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-dime-on-your-neighbor/550684/105 "2010-08-20T00:47:13Z")
As far as I can read this thread has pretty much reached an impasse,if there is a moderator available I would like to request a change of venus to great debates or just closing the thread. Thank You ---
**Author:** ![NadaHappyCamper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/278dde/32.png) [@NadaHappyCamper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NadaHappyCamper)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-dime-on-your-neighbor/550684/106 "2010-08-20T00:48:22Z")
ooops sorry that shold read change of venue ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-dime-on-your-neighbor/550684/107 "2010-08-20T00:53:23Z")
> [@NadaHappyCamper](#): > > As far as I can read this thread has pretty much reached an impasse,if there is a moderator available I would like to request a change of venus to great debates or just closing the thread. Thank You It hasn’t reached an impasse, you’re just refusing to respond to questions relevant to the thread. Can you answer this? > [@pulykamell](#): > > Take three: what do you hope to accomplish with your 911 calls? What do you think is actually accomplished with your 911 calls? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-dime-on-your-neighbor/550684/108 "2010-08-20T00:54:28Z")
If this goes to GD, it will go even worse for you, and it will end in the Pit. Of course, that’s only MHO. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-dime-on-your-neighbor/550684/109 "2010-08-20T00:54:42Z")
> [@NadaHappyCamper](#): > > As far as I can read this thread has pretty much reached an impasse,if there is a moderator available I would like to request a change of venus to great debates or just closing the thread. Thank You So now you are going to call the authorities to stop actions you disagree with but the majority find reasonable? ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-dime-on-your-neighbor/550684/110 "2010-08-20T02:02:21Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Is this OP for real? :dubious: > > In the off-chance it is, please don’t bother 911 with this shit. Unless you see honest-to-goodness reckless driving use the non-emergency number if you feel compelled to play hall monitor. If I “dropped a dime” on every violation you’ve mentioned in the OP, I would not be able to drive anywhere without calling the police. I’m not exaggerating, either. Quite literally, every single drive I’ve taken in the city I see folks on their cell phones, texting, following too close, improperly changing lanes, not using signals, etc. Seconded. I have used 911 to call on a driver once. He was either drunk or practicing his weaving skills in a Chevy. The other calls are just nuisance and a waste of the 911 phone number. Don’t forget, that number is meant for _emergencies only_, not to complain about idiots who just irritating your life, not endangering it. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-dime-on-your-neighbor/550684/111 "2010-08-20T04:07:29Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > I’ve called 911 twice this year. Once was to report a 10ft ladder on the freeway and the other time was to report a 4ft steel cylinder rolling across the interstate. I think I was justified. Illegal lane changes, not so much. Me? I woulda had a free ladder and material for an upcoming welding project! ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-dime-on-your-neighbor/550684/112 "2010-08-20T04:19:17Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > This is [how I envision](http://crm114.tripod.com/dragnet/gregg.jpg) the OP. That link takes me to ‘image hosted by tripod’ but there isn’t any image. I am on the edge. of. my. seat. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-dime-on-your-neighbor/550684/113 "2010-08-20T04:29:40Z")
911 doesn’t even want you to call if you see someone driving away with your car. 911 is not for reporting crimes, it’s for notifying the police or other emergency responders of an emergency. A person cutting you off or driving too close is not an emergency. There is a non-emergency number to call for reporting crimes or other police-relating concerns which are not emergencies (where I live, it’s 311). Please do not waste time and resources calling 911 to report minor traffic violations. You could seriously be preventing a life threatening emergency from connecting, and you are CERTAINLY contributing to the workload 911 operators have, making the system less efficient. Knock it off! ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-dime-on-your-neighbor/550684/114 "2010-08-20T04:31:32Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > > [@MsRobyn](#): > > > > This is [how I envision](http://crm114.tripod.com/dragnet/gregg.jpg) the OP. > > That link takes me to ‘image hosted by tripod’ but there isn’t any image. > > I am on the edge. of. my. seat. Copy/paste the link into your browser for it to work: [http://crm114.tripod.com/dragnet/gregg.jpg](http://crm114.tripod.com/dragnet/gregg.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-dime-on-your-neighbor/550684/115 "2010-08-20T04:34:04Z")
Hee! Thanks Clockwork. Thanks MsRobyn. ---
**Author:** ![NadaHappyCamper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/278dde/32.png) [@NadaHappyCamper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NadaHappyCamper)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-dime-on-your-neighbor/550684/116 "2010-08-20T04:56:04Z")
If as some say 911 is for reporting crimes ,and aggressive driving and unsafe driving are crimes and talking on a cellular phone without hands free is a crime ,whats the question? It seems more impoetant for some posters that my punctuation skills are lacking and for this I apologise to those who are honestly offended, for those of you who are just being snarky I could care less. Mosier: if you will read in one reply I had just gotten off the phone with both the local police and the shift supervisor at on odf the central emegency dispatch companies, they both agreed that what i was doing was the proper course of action to report unsafe erratic and/or aggressive drivers. As i have stated before there is a system in place to seperate the emegency calls from the hall monitor reports. What I think is that most of the posters who say I am doing wrong or being a Hall moniter or are chideing me for being a do gooder are just showing how little they care about their fellow travelers on the road and their lack of responsibility, especially if placing one call to 911 prevents 1 accident . I don’t understand how anyone could possibly be so positve that calling 911 won’t possibley save a life. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-dime-on-your-neighbor/550684/117 "2010-08-20T04:57:53Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > 911 doesn’t even want you to call if you see someone driving away with your car. 911 is not for reporting crimes, it’s for notifying the police or other emergency responders of an emergency. A person cutting you off or driving too close is not an emergency. There is a non-emergency number to call for reporting crimes or other police-relating concerns which are not emergencies (where I live, it’s 311). I’ve called 911 to report a crime that happened to me, and they told me it was the right thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-dime-on-your-neighbor/550684/118 "2010-08-20T05:46:22Z")
> [@NadaHappyCamper](#): > > What I think is that most of the posters who say I am doing wrong or being a Hall moniter or are chideing me for being a do gooder are just showing how little they care about their fellow travelers on the road and their lack of responsibility, especially if placing one call to 911 prevents 1 accident . I don’t understand how anyone could possibly be so positve that calling 911 won’t possibley save a life. For the gazillionth time, what do you think the police are doing with your information? What _could_ they possibly do with your info? Find yourself a new hobby. ---
**Author:** ![Cadence](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Cadence](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cadence)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-dime-on-your-neighbor/550684/119 "2010-08-20T06:44:01Z")
I have called \*gsp a couple of times on the interstate when I have seen a car broken down, hood up, woman looking helpless, and kids in the car. They always seem like they will go check on her. I am female so it is not totally safe for me to stop, plus I know nothing about cars, and I am a mile or so past her by then with no place to turn around. But I would want someone to do it for me if I was broken down. Now you have me worried if they really do go and check on her. (insert worried smilie here) Otherwise I have only called 911 when a family member or neighbor is laying in the floor with chest pains. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2010, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-dime-on-your-neighbor/550684/120 "2010-08-20T07:48:23Z")
> [@NadaHappyCamper](#): > > I don’t understand how anyone could possibly be so positve that calling 911 won’t possibley save a life. It’s not a question of whether there is a possibility of it saving a life. The question is whether it’s appropriate to dial 911 for a non-emergency. An emergency means something tragic is imminent, the threat is immediate, and the situation is easy to articulate. “He is following too closely for safety!” is not an emergency. “He changed lanes in front of me without using his turn signal!” is not an emergency. Do the right thing, and use the appropriate channels for reporting things like this. Don’t tie up resources for the emergency response system with nonsense like this. Calling the “how is my driving?” numbers on the back of company vehicles is absolutely appropriate. Calling non-emergency police lines to report non-emergency crimes like minor traffic violations is absolutely appropriate. Use the appropriate resources available to you, though. Don’t call the same number if you came across a vehicle on fire with occupants trapped inside that you would call if you saw someone going 10 miles over the speed limit. Do you honestly not see the difference between the two situations? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-dime-on-your-neighbor/550684.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dropping-a-dime-on-your-neighbor/550684.md?page=7)