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Ever been the victim of road rage and tried calling the police in New York to report it? When/if they finally show up, they will make you feel like you were responsible for it.
My impression is the police feel there is nothing they can do about it if they didn't actually see it, they cannot issue a ticket, and seem very bothered if someone calls in to report it, much less do anything about it.
Consequently, it is no surprise that people drive so aggressively here in New York and you have situations develop such as the one between the 21-year old and the 35-year old who was killed a couple years ago. Unless it comes to a tragic result like this, do the police do anything that effectively addresses the people who are actually starting these situations? If you get a license number and report it, will they actually visit the person and at least question them to send a message that there could be potential consequences for their actions. I know there are two sides to every situation, but the police just don't seem to care. It appears to be too much trouble to do anything about it.
It seems to me that the frequency of road rage is escalating because aggressive drivers feel like they can get away with anything because the police don't seem to do anything about the people who are the truly the ones who commit the road rage. They simply drive away and find another person to terrorize on the road.
Someone literally drove me off the road and kept trying to hit me driving me further off the road. I called the police with his lic # right after it happened and they told me to come in to fill out a report. Are they not going to go after him while hes still on the damn road?
Apparently not. I think the other question is whether they will even contact the person at all. Seems that nothing at all is done unless someone is hurt or killed. That's the problem.
I am interested in a couple aspects of the situation you were in:
How long did it take for them to get to you after you called?
Did they make you feel like you were the one who was partially or totally responsible for the situation?
I know there are always two sides to every story, but it seems they automatically assume that you caused it with no regard that you are the one calling it in and the other person just drove away.
I think they tend to focus on what is SEEN by the police themselves or SEEN by an impartial eyewitness who is not connected to the incident.
Years ago I had a neighbor hit my car, but I didn't see it and he wouldn't admit to it. He was drunk too and wouldn't come out of his house when I knocked on the door.
I called the police to report the accident and they WOULD NOT make a report that said he hit me, just one that said I was hit by an "unknown" car.
Meanwhile his truck was BABY BLUE and my car was black and you could see baby blue paint on my car where it was hit and black paint on his truck (which only had slight cosmetic damage).
According to their "rules of evidence" or whatever maybe it could have been a DIFFERENT baby blue car ... and technically that is NOT 100% certainty ... with no eyewitness they didn't want to even attempt it.
As for the road rage stuff, I have seen it, but never attempted to report it because I figure the crazy driver would be gone by the time they got there to witness the crazy driving.
If someone is driving aggressively AT me, I will do whatever I can to let them pass even if it means pull over to the side of the road and let them go on by. I am not going to drive with my emotions in charge. If they are in a hurry, goodbye.
I think they tend to focus on what is SEEN by the police themselves or SEEN by an impartial eyewitness who is not connected to the incident.
Years ago I had a neighbor hit my car, but I didn't see it and he wouldn't admit to it. He was drunk too and wouldn't come out of his house when I knocked on the door.
I called the police to report the accident and they WOULD NOT make a report that said he hit me, just one that said I was hit by an "unknown" car.
Meanwhile his truck was BABY BLUE and my car was black and you could see baby blue paint on my car where it was hit and black paint on his truck (which only had slight cosmetic damage).
According to their "rules of evidence" or whatever maybe it could have been a DIFFERENT baby blue car ... and technically that is NOT 100% certainty ... with no eyewitness they didn't want to even attempt it.
As for the road rage stuff, I have seen it, but never attempted to report it because I figure the crazy driver would be gone by the time they got there to witness the crazy driving.
If someone is driving aggressively AT me, I will do whatever I can to let them pass even if it means pull over to the side of the road and let them go on by. I am not going to drive with my emotions in charge. If they are in a hurry, goodbye.
Exactly, unless you have a witness or a cop sees it what do you expect them to do? Are they supposed to arrest the person or ticket them because you said they drove aggressively near/at you? The best advice is to just get out of the way and let them by.
Ever been the victim of road rage and tried calling the police in New York to report it? When/if they finally show up, they will make you feel like you were responsible for it.
My impression is the police feel there is nothing they can do about it if they didn't actually see it, they cannot issue a ticket, and seem very bothered if someone calls in to report it, much less do anything about it.
Consequently, it is no surprise that people drive so aggressively here in New York and you have situations develop such as the one between the 21-year old and the 35-year old who was killed a couple years ago. Unless it comes to a tragic result like this, do the police do anything that effectively addresses the people who are actually starting these situations? If you get a license number and report it, will they actually visit the person and at least question them to send a message that there could be potential consequences for their actions. I know there are two sides to every situation, but the police just don't seem to care. It appears to be too much trouble to do anything about it.
It seems to me that the frequency of road rage is escalating because aggressive drivers feel like they can get away with anything because the police don't seem to do anything about the people who are the truly the ones who commit the road rage. They simply drive away and find another person to terrorize on the road.
My impression is that your impression is correct.
In other states, there are cameras along the highway. I don't know how successful they are at capturing aggressive driving or whether they act as a deterrent, but that's about the best you can hope for.
The frequency of road rage can escalate in any area where there are too many cars for too few roads, where traffic jams are common, and where morons drive 55 in the left lane when the normal pace of traffic is 65.
If someone is driving like an absolute idiot--and by that I mean weaving, swerving, and in general being a menace--pull over and call in the tag number. Or, if someone is in the car with you, have that person call it in. For all you know, the person is drunk and needs to be taken off the roads, and you can give the person's location and direction then and there.
Waiting until after the fact isn't going to get you any results.
In other states, there are cameras along the highway. I don't know how successful they are at capturing aggressive driving or whether they act as a deterrent, but that's about the best you can hope for.
The frequency of road rage can escalate in any area where there are too many cars for too few roads, where traffic jams are common, and where morons drive 55 in the left lane when the normal pace of traffic is 65.
If someone is driving like an absolute idiot--and by that I mean weaving, swerving, and in general being a menace--pull over and call in the tag number. Or, if someone is in the car with you, have that person call it in. For all you know, the person is drunk and needs to be taken off the roads, and you can give the person's location and direction then and there.
Waiting until after the fact isn't going to get you any results.
So... not following the traffic laws makes you an idiot, and following traffic laws makes you a moron?
So... not following the traffic laws makes you an idiot, and following traffic laws makes you a moron?
Which is it?
Putting yourself in a position where cars are constantly trying to get around you (a more dangerous position that staying out of the left lane regardless of who is breaking the law) makes you a moron.
Putting yourself in a position where cars are constantly trying to get around you (a more dangerous position that staying out of the left lane regardless of who is breaking the law) makes you a moron.
Yup. They just don't get it. "Who ME? I'm doing the speed limit, IT's YOU that's wrong!"
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Yup. They just don't get it. "Who ME? I'm doing the speed limit, IT's YOU that's wrong!"
