The officer explains to you that the driver you cut off sent his dashcam record to the local police station and it was sufficient to have you convicted in absentia. You don’t understand how it happened–after all, you didn’t see any cops around at the time. When a driver behind you is annoyed with your behavior, you cut him off as he attempts to pass.Ī week or so later, the local police show up at the dealership with reckless-driving citations for both you and your friend. You head out to the freeway and do a couple of “roll races” from 40 to 70mph. Here’s another scenario for you: You and your friend work for a car dealership and you’ve got a couple of traded-in cars that you decide you’re going to goof around with. Did you use Launch Control from a stoplight? Maybe the driver of the car behind you didn’t like that, so pow! Another brick in the wall. If you have a loud Harley or Vette that annoys the Prius driver next to you in traffic? Well, isn’t that aggressive? You should be reported. What they won’t say is that it will change the nature of police interactions with certain drivers. They will say that there is no violation of your right to due process since no tickets are written based on unverified third-party reports. There’s no way that a program like this won’t lead to an increase in the number of citations written–which means that the auto-insurance industry will eventually make sure that every state has it, including yours. There’s no way that a program like this won’t lead to an increase in the number of citations written They could get caught speeding and wind up getting a ticket instead of a warning because they’re on the database. Are you angry with somebody? Pick up a couple prepaid phones and call ‘em in to the aggressive-driving number. Ask any competent defense attorney out there and they will tell you that it’s never a good idea to have unnecessary interactions with the police in an era where most people, and most motorists, are unwittingly in violation of one law or another.Īs someone who spent many an evening prank-calling my fellow university students, I have to say that to me the potential to game and/or abuse this system seems enormous. If five drivers report you, chances are you will get a visit from a state trooper. If three drivers report you, the state will send you a letter. The state maintains a secret “aggressive driver” database. Except that it’s really happening in Colorado. The whole scenario sounds like the fantasy of some paranoid drivers’-rights type, if you ask me. Is that window tint legal? When was the last time you got an emissions check?” “No sir, we don’t write tickets for reports… Not yet, anyway,” the trooper responds, before turning his head towards your car and saying, “But as long as I’m here, I’d like to to talk to you about your car. This is all very surprising to you, because ever since you became a committed trackday enthusiast five years ago you rarely exceed the speed limit by more than five or ten miles per hour and you maintain absolute Zen-like calm behind the wheel. I’m here to remind you to be careful on the road and to keep a clear assured distance.” Jones,” he says, waving the paper in your direction, “you have been reported to the State Aggressive Driving Registry by five separate drivers. He pulls into your driveway and steps out holding a piece of paper. You notice there’s a state trooper driving down your road, which is odd because your road is not a state highway of any sort. Imagine this scenario, if you will: It’s a lazy Saturday afternoon at your house and you’re scrubbing your Nissan GT-R or Corvette or MG Midget in the driveway.
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