Site to report dangerous drivers
#1
Quidam Bike Super Hero
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Stone Mountain, GA (Metro Atlanta, East)
Posts: 1,133
Bikes: 1995 Trek 800 Sport, aka, "CamelTrek"
Liked 415 Times
in
282 Posts
Site to report dangerous drivers
While it seems that CloseCalls website may be down, there is a site that is a "Find by Plate Number" type that does have a section to report dangerous drivers. At least there can be some record and narrative if needed in the future.
https://findbyplate.com/US/GA/QBI8442/add-report/
https://findbyplate.com/US/GA/QBI8442/add-report/
#2
Senior Member
While it seems that CloseCalls website may be down, there is a site that is a "Find by Plate Number" type that does have a section to report dangerous drivers. At least there can be some record and narrative if needed in the future.
https://findbyplate.com/US/GA/QBI8442/add-report/
https://findbyplate.com/US/GA/QBI8442/add-report/
I think the best place to report dangerous drivers is to your local police dept.
Likes For Koyote:
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 3,947
Bikes: Trek 1100 road bike, Roadmaster gravel/commuter/beater mountain bike
Liked 1,711 Times
in
937 Posts
Yes and no. If someone's being a menace to other road users, by all means report them. But just don't be surprised if nothing happens. Like the old saying goes, there's never a cop around when you need one. Just the other evening someone was running a quad 4-wheeler (bigger than a standard 4-wheeler, like a car but open and smaller) up & down the street in front of our house at probably 50 MPH. Of course they were long gone and probably parked by the time the sheriff's deputy showed up. I don't blame the police, they're often understaffed and dealing with higher priority calls, and driving complaints are low-priority. So yeah, if they happen to be in the area and catch them, good. But I don't expect miracles. And often even if they find the offending vehicle but they're not driving recklessly when the police see them, there's little they can do.
Likes For Milton Keynes:
#4
There’s an A&S forum for that.
Likes For indyfabz:
#5
Senior Member
Yes and no. If someone's being a menace to other road users, by all means report them. But just don't be surprised if nothing happens. Like the old saying goes, there's never a cop around when you need one. Just the other evening someone was running a quad 4-wheeler (bigger than a standard 4-wheeler, like a car but open and smaller) up & down the street in front of our house at probably 50 MPH. Of course they were long gone and probably parked by the time the sheriff's deputy showed up. I don't blame the police, they're often understaffed and dealing with higher priority calls, and driving complaints are low-priority. So yeah, if they happen to be in the area and catch them, good. But I don't expect miracles. And often even if they find the offending vehicle but they're not driving recklessly when the police see them, there's little they can do.
Likes For Koyote:
#6
Full Member
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Greer, SC
Posts: 344
Bikes: GR300, Grail, Live Wire, 5010
Liked 242 Times
in
121 Posts
While it seems that CloseCalls website may be down, there is a site that is a "Find by Plate Number" type that does have a section to report dangerous drivers. At least there can be some record and narrative if needed in the future.
https://findbyplate.com/US/GA/QBI8442/add-report/
https://findbyplate.com/US/GA/QBI8442/add-report/
#7
Senior Member
By reporting dangerous drivers, a record will exist of their dangerous activities. Should one of those drivers end up in court, their record would establish that the dangerous driver has a documented history of driving dangerously. This can lead to stiffer penalties, since the record will show a pattern of behavior, and it (hopefully) prevents a dangerous driver from being given leniency.
Likes For BoraxKid:
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Mich
Posts: 7,870
Bikes: RSO E-tire dropper fixie brifter
Liked 3,305 Times
in
2,097 Posts
get a bicycle mounted vid recorder. easier to provide actual evidence if something occurs.
__________________
-YMMV
-YMMV
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Layton, UT
Posts: 1,606
Bikes: 2011 Bent TW Elegance 2014 Carbon Strada Velomobile
Liked 702 Times
in
418 Posts
The Cycliq website is nice, but I don't know if they are willing to allow anyone to upload videos, or only Cycliq users.
#10
Too often, dangerous drivers are let off with inadequate penalties because it's their first time in court.
By reporting dangerous drivers, a record will exist of their dangerous activities. Should one of those drivers end up in court, their record would establish that the dangerous driver has a documented history of driving dangerously. This can lead to stiffer penalties, since the record will show a pattern of behavior, and it (hopefully) prevents a dangerous driver from being given leniency.
By reporting dangerous drivers, a record will exist of their dangerous activities. Should one of those drivers end up in court, their record would establish that the dangerous driver has a documented history of driving dangerously. This can lead to stiffer penalties, since the record will show a pattern of behavior, and it (hopefully) prevents a dangerous driver from being given leniency.
You'll get as much response as calling the number on the back of a work truck to tell them their driver cut you off. You know who calls those? People that mainly got frustrated and did not like what you did and think they can "get you" and want to do nothing else in the next few minutes but report you risking their own driving talking on the phone in traffic and spending valuable brain cycles reliving how frustrated they are. It has NOTHING to do with actual danger and legality. Do you know what those report me numbers actually do? Save the driver and the their companies insurance from getting involved in a road rage indecent by giving the other person a perceived useful outlet of frustration instead of further escalation. Think about that.
Last edited by u235; 09-02-20 at 04:00 PM.
Likes For u235:
#11
Been Around Awhile
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Burlington Iowa
Posts: 30,119
Bikes: Vaterland and Ragazzi
Liked 1,650 Times
in
1,111 Posts
Too often, dangerous drivers are let off with inadequate penalties because it's their first time in court.
By reporting dangerous drivers, a record will exist of their dangerous activities. Should one of those drivers end up in court, their record would establish that the dangerous driver has a documented history of driving dangerously. This can lead to stiffer penalties, since the record will show a pattern of behavior, and it (hopefully) prevents a dangerous driver from being given leniency.
By reporting dangerous drivers, a record will exist of their dangerous activities. Should one of those drivers end up in court, their record would establish that the dangerous driver has a documented history of driving dangerously. This can lead to stiffer penalties, since the record will show a pattern of behavior, and it (hopefully) prevents a dangerous driver from being given leniency.
I will leave it to the BF legal scholars, (licensed, would-be or otherwise) to give an opinion if a "record" of alleged "dangerous behavior" gathered by such a non governmental call-in hotline/website would carry any weight at all in a court for determining a defendent's guilt for a specific violation/crime or could be used when determining a penalty, especially for a defendant who is in court for the first time.
My untrained legal opinion is that such alleged "evidence" of previous "dangerous activities" based on such so-called reports would be found irrelevant in any court.
Likes For I-Like-To-Bike:
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 3,947
Bikes: Trek 1100 road bike, Roadmaster gravel/commuter/beater mountain bike
Liked 1,711 Times
in
937 Posts
Too often, dangerous drivers are let off with inadequate penalties because it's their first time in court.
By reporting dangerous drivers, a record will exist of their dangerous activities. Should one of those drivers end up in court, their record would establish that the dangerous driver has a documented history of driving dangerously. This can lead to stiffer penalties, since the record will show a pattern of behavior, and it (hopefully) prevents a dangerous driver from being given leniency.
By reporting dangerous drivers, a record will exist of their dangerous activities. Should one of those drivers end up in court, their record would establish that the dangerous driver has a documented history of driving dangerously. This can lead to stiffer penalties, since the record will show a pattern of behavior, and it (hopefully) prevents a dangerous driver from being given leniency.
Likes For Milton Keynes:
#13
Senior Member
Glad I'm not the only one who has noticed that.
#14
Senior Member
Likes For BoraxKid:
#15
Senior Member
Unfortunately I don't think entries on a website like that would be admissible in court. A competent attorney or anyone able to represent themselves competently would be able to get it thrown out, mainly because all the entries on that website are just allegations and not proven. All the entries, if no video is available, are just one person's word against another's, and there's no way to prevent someone from harassing someone else by creating false entries using their vehicle & tag information. Even with video, it can be hard to prove that the defendant was the one driving. All the judge will go on is the defendant's driving record as held by the state anyway.
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 3,947
Bikes: Trek 1100 road bike, Roadmaster gravel/commuter/beater mountain bike
Liked 1,711 Times
in
937 Posts
I think the idea that you're missing here is that the people who logged the events can be contacted, and then they could give sworn statements about their encounters with a given driver. I agree it's probably a long shot to actually work, but like I said earlier, it's not my site, not my organization, and not my problem.
#17
Senior Member
And yes, the "reporting" site exists for when a driver has done something serious, i.e. caused injury to someone and/or killed someone, and is already facing a court date. The idea is that these organizations spend some time monitoring court cases so they are aware of when someone from their database is in court for something major. Then, the reporting group alerts the prosecutor(s) to the information they have. In an ideal world, the prosecution would be motivated to do the right thing and make sure justice is served against the dangerous driver, but like we already agreed, there's practically no chance of that happening in reality.
#18
Senior Member
Well, yes, we already covered that above. Why are you so angry about this? We already pointed out that for the database of bad drivers to mean anything in court, someone would have to contact the individuals who logged their events to have them give sworn statements. None of that seems likely to happen, though, and I already said exactly that in an earlier post. Did you not bother to read the thread before responding? I think if you read a little more carefully, it would help you understand what's already been discussed and maybe you would be a little less angry. Calm down.
#19
Sunshine
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 17,043
Bikes: '18 class built steel roadbike, '19 Fairlight Secan, '88 Schwinn Premis , Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross V4, '89 Novara Trionfo
Liked 8,069 Times
in
4,475 Posts
#20
I didn't think I was, it was a simply a counterpoint... Call 1800-555-1212 and complain user u235 is hostile and defensive and does not agree with you. The irony
Last edited by u235; 09-02-20 at 03:56 PM.
#21
Been Around Awhile
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Burlington Iowa
Posts: 30,119
Bikes: Vaterland and Ragazzi
Liked 1,650 Times
in
1,111 Posts
The idea is that these organizations spend some time monitoring court cases so they are aware of when someone from their database is in court for something major. Then, the reporting group alerts the prosecutor(s) to the information they have. In an ideal world, the prosecution would be motivated to do the right thing and make sure justice is served against the dangerous driver, but like we already agreed, there's practically no chance of that happening in reality.
#22
Senior Member
Yeah, that sounds about right. Like I said earlier, I don't think these "databases" are really helpful in any practical way.
#23
Senior Member
I don't think the poster was being "defensive." I think he was just pointing out the absurdity of your claim - as have several other posters.
#24
Been Around Awhile
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Burlington Iowa
Posts: 30,119
Bikes: Vaterland and Ragazzi
Liked 1,650 Times
in
1,111 Posts
I do NOT think it "unfortunate" that anonymous, unsubstantiated reports of "dangerous activity" gathered by a private, for profit, web site is inadmissible in court. I am glad that such likely tainted and biased so-called "evidence" is not considered at all in any legal proceeding.
#25
Senior Member
I didn't make any claims. I answered someone's question; they asked "why does this exist" and I basically recited the organization's mission statement. I was not saying I support their mission, nor was I saying that no one should support them. I was simply pointing out things as they are.