For all the posters who think that I am doing the wrong thing for calling 911 when I witness reckless or irresponsible driving, a question: Suppose you looked out your front window in your neighbood and saw a deranged person walking down the sidewalk waving a pistol, What would you do?
For the posters who think I am impedeing traffic by travrling at 60 mph: 60 mph, is the leagel speed limit in the urban areas, on the freeway that is.
Also I mentioned that if I witness a commercial vehical being driven irresponsibly I try to contact the company directley to report rather than bother with 911.
My personal feeling is ,if I witness erratic unsafe driving and I report the driver to 911,maybe they will get pulled overand checked out, who knows they may be intoxicated,ill, tired, or just plain crazy as a crap house rat, I leave that for the police officer to determine, that is their job.
Iapologise for the double post, I want to add; The 911 system was developed for just the reason that I have put it to use for, citizen input, citizen like you and I helping the police and state troopers to do thei jobs, when you drive down the freeway and see debris on the road, that could possibly cause a traffic accident or a reckless or irresponsible driver it is your civic duty to report them to the authorities.
One time I had Franken Berry for breakfast and it rained all day that day. I switched to Lucky Charms because I didn’t want to be responsible for another Great Flood.
Statistically, hands-free phones are just as dangerous as hand-held phones. The issue is with one’s mind being distracted, not being physically unable to operate the vehicle.
Yes, if I saw this I would call. I would also call if I saw a deranged driver waiving a gun.
If however I saw someone walking down the sidewalk talking on a cell phone I would not call. Nor would I call if they suddenly changed from the sidewalk to the street or were walking closely behind someone.
Usually, I’m on my motorcycle when someone does this to me, which when intentional, can be quite deadly. AND it really pisses me off! I usually wait for other drivers to call 911 while I’m going all road rage on the offending driver at the next light. Fortunatley, the cops don’t bother and I haven’t been shot yet.
For Spud; My logic is that if I saw a 2000 lb. Bull running down a sidewalk, or a rabid dog running loose through the neighborhood, yes that is deffinately worth a call to 911 not so much a pedestrian walking and using a cellular phone, though that can be unsafe also think about a person so engrossed in their conversation they may walk out in traffic without looking, I’ve seen that happen
What I’ve garnered from the previous posts is that many of you think I abuse the 911 system I say that is exactley what the 911 system is for, prevention of a bad situation from becoming a serious situation, and if 911 operators think I am a crackpot there isn’t too much I can do about that if they don’t pass my call on to the proper authority the outcome of the transgression is out of my hands,I’ve done everything I could do as a good citizen to protect my fellow citizens.
You do realize don’t you that misuse and abuse of the nation’s 911 service is a huge problem that potentially endangers the lives of those in need of true emergency assistance? You seem incapable of being able to properly triage less than perfect situations. If a driver is behaving in a manner in which bodily harm to others or himself is imminent or if a wreck has already occured, call 911. If someone changes lanes too quickly for your liking, back the fuck off and stay off your goddamn phone.
If you see some contractor or employee driving in a wreckless manner and you’re not putting others in danger by getting close enough to get the number off the vehicle then call if you want AFTER pulling off the road where you’re not a distracted menace to other, less easily annoyed drivers.
For Spud ;
My logic is that were I to see a 2000 lb. Bull running amok on a crowded sidewalk or a Rabid animal loose in a neighborhood, most definately I would call 911. Nott so much a pedestrian walking and talking on a cellular phone, though I have seen pedestrians so engrossed in a phone conversation that they have stepped into traffic without looking.
What was the explanation given in the class? If I remember correctly, it had something to do with the brain dealing with two separate environments - the phone conversation and the actual driving. Talking on the phone reduces the amount of brain activity dedicated to the driving task significantly. When having a conversation with a passenger, there is less of a division of attention, as both are integrated into one experience.
If you’re asking why that is… I have no idea. Gonna have to ask a neuroscientist.
Blind people still have quite a bit of situational awareness. Plus, to be considered legally blind you can still have some vision.
But any way for the OP:
NO! That is NOT why 911 was developed for emergency response, not for minor infractions or traffic violations.
So knock it off! If you feel you must report something that would net someone a $50 traffic ticket, then program the non-emergency police number into your damn phone.
Are you serious? You equate a 2000 lb bull and a rabid dog (heck, lets make it a rabid bull and a 2000lb dog) in a neighborhood to someone changing lanes without a signal, driving while talking on a cell phone, or following less than two car lengths at 60mph? Seriously… how often do you see loose bulls and rabid dogs? I see 4-5 drivers changing lanes, talking on cell phones (which isn’t illegal here) and less than 2 car lengths away every single day on my 20 minute or less drive.
So, do you call 911 every time you see a “person so engrossed in their conversation that they may walk out in traffic?”
You posted this… you solicited input on other poster’s thoughts. Most don’t agree that you are doing the right thing. We can’t do anything about if you continue or not. We just think you are doing more harm than good.
So, if you posted “I call 911 every time I see a 2000 lb bull running loose or a rabid dog” you would likely have gotten posters to agree that you do the right thing.