What should you do when a maniac is driving by???

[ecotourist]

Had something like this happen while on vacation. A van near me in traffic started accelerating erratically then began making runs up the acceleration lanes on the outside or the inside of 4 lanes of traffic. He eventually got ahead by racing up a left turn lane and forcing his way back into the traffic. We tried to call 911 but got a busy signal. By this time he had gotten a little ahead.

A few minutes later we saw a puff of dust up ahead and figured for sure the van had hit someone. When we got there the van was pulling into a lay-by with a blown out tire. I think he had hit a curb.

Three vehicles pulled in with him. We were all determined to not let him get away with that kind of driving.

We expected to find a kid high on drugs but actually found an old guy as drunk as a skunk.

I stayed and made a statement to the police. I had made a note of the licence originally so I could positively identify the van, identify the guy driving it and could describe his driving. Seems 911 had been overloaded by people calling about this situation.

A few weeks later I received a subpoena to testify. That was eventually cancelled. Seems there was a pretty good case against him!

We have to get drivers like him off the road.

Ecotourist

 

[Spazdog]

I'm sure someone is telling a story about a maniac in a Mazda this morning.

Not one but TWO cars were bumbling along sometimes getting up to 25mph in a 45mph zone between lights. And because of our leisurely pace we were catching all the lights on red. The car on the right would leave a second or so after the light changed and then the car on the left would leave with just enough space between them to not pass.

Putt putt putt putt putt putt putt....light ahead turns green...putt putt putt putt putt putt...light turns yellow....BRAKE LIGHTS!!!!! We are still 500 yards from the intersection at all of 25 mph and we are stopping already.

This goes on for about three lights with each of them swapping the lead but never allowing enough room to safely pass. Putt putt putt putt putt putt.....

A third lane opens up. The entrance lane for the freeway. The freeway I should have been on for the duration of 3 traffic light cycles ago. Zoom zoom zoom. I'm gone.

So I'm sure that at doddering-old-fool.com in the Annoying Accord and Silverado forum, they are discussing that maniac in the grey Mazda right now and how they should have called the cops

 

[ltslimjim]

^LOL, something similar happened on the interstate once. Two cars that stuck by each other for miles, driving 10 MPH below the speed limit.

...gang initiation? Not too bad, I suppose.

 

[calvin1]

Originally Posted By: ltslimjim
^LOL, something similar happened on the interstate once. Two cars that stuck by each other for miles, driving 10 MPH below the speed limit.

...gang initiation? Not too bad, I suppose.
Lambda Lambda Lambda pledge week

 

[morris]

yea crazies are trouble all right. for me its people that wont drive. ok we have gone 4 blocks and we finally got up to 25 mph. whats wrong with these idiots? iam not wanting to do 70 in a 40 zone. just 40 in a 40 zone. if you are not going to realy drive, STAY HOME!

 

[JTK]

My 5am-5pm shift puts me on the road at 4am. On occasion I'll come across some unbelievable drunks on the road. They're usually doing ~45mph on the highways where normal traffic does 65 and weaving from shoulder to shoulder. Luckily there's almost no-one on the roads at that time for my 40 mile each way commute.

I'll hang well behind them if I have to, but often have to blast around them to get out of their way and on with my trip.

Joel

 

[lovcom]

Originally Posted By: OtisBlkR1
all the above.. but per your own recomendation of "tailing the guy" Big NO-NO.. if your not the police you have no buisness putting yourself in harms way. What if the guy notices you tailing him and does a abrupt stop ? gets out and opens fire on you ? there is no call trying to be a good samaritan if it includes getting yourself hurt. Thats what Law Enforcement get paid to do. your civic duty in this situation is call and report. Keep yourself safe to get home for you and yours.


Wrong advice....it is far better to safely tag such offenders as you chat with police on the cell so that they have intel on the situation.

Bad things happen when good men do nothing.

 

[CapriRacer]

To continue the stories:

I was once traveling though rural Illinois. As usual, I was traveling about 7 mph over the speed limt. Up ahead I spied a pair of cars traveling side by side - a Lincoln and a Cadillac. I was traveling ever so slightly faster than they were.

As I got closer it turned out the Lincoln was about a half a car length behind Cadillac - in the Caddy's blind spot - and as I got closer, there was very little change in their relative positions.

As I was figuring out how I was going to get around this rolling roadblock, a tractor/trailer appeared on the horizon. It took several minutes for the pair to close up on the truck - but no change in relative position.

The Caddy started to move over to pass the truck - and it took a second for the Lincoln to react, but when he did it was full hard on the brakes - then a pause, then the horn, then the Caddy swerving back into the right lane, then they both paced the truck with the Lincoln about a car length back - neither of them moving from THAT relative positioning.

By that time, I had caught up with them - and I waited for a decision from either one of them. Since I was in the right lane behind the Caddy, I pulled up beside the Lincoln - and waited.

Nothing!

Then I dropped back and pulled behind the Lincoln.

Nothing!

I finally honked my horn and then the Lincoln accellerated pretty hard and passed both the Caddy and the truck - and I followed. After clearing the truck, the Lincoln must have hit the "Resume" button on the cruise control, because he slowed right down to the same speed as before.

I had to quickly move into the right hand lane - and as I went by, I got "dagger eyes" from the driver.

 

[wrcsixeight]

Spring 2007,
3:30 Am I-75 south between Tampa and Sarasota.

I'm doing my MPG conscious 68 mph in the right lane with almost nobody else on the highway.

I check my mirrors frequently and some lights appear way behind me. Several seconds go by and I look again, they are not very far behind me at all now. I check my passenger mirror and see nothing, and as I go back to check my drivers side mirror the sound of a v8, or v12 at redline blasts me from 2 lanes over.

I could not tell what type of car it was, it was gone in an instant. Must have been doing 175mph +.

I didn't call the cops, that car obviously needed an Italian tune up, and who am I to complain when somebody is performing some light maintenance on an empty stretch of highway late at night.