Pirate's Cove

The NC General Assembly has a new law targetting aggressive drivers:

It said an aggressive driver "drives carelessly and heedlessly in willful or wanton disregard of the rights or safety of others."

So how does the General Assembly define that statement?

First, authorities must catch the aggressive driver speeding.

Second, police must also determine that the driver
broke at least two more rules while speeding. Those offenses are
running through a red light or stop sign, passing illegally, following
too closely or failing to yield the right of way.

Lawmakers consider aggressive driving a major offense.

Along with criminal penalties, violators can get five points added to their driver’s licenses.

Is that possible to get popped like that? You betcha. I can, with no exageration, drive down one major road in the Triangle, and see a speeder who was tailgating run a red light. Alot. Some people who would otherwise have slowed down and stopped as the light goes yellow now go thru the light, as they look behind them and come to the conclusion that if they don’t, they will get rear ended. I can speak from experience. Lots of red light cameras in Raleigh, and more going up all the time. On my road, there is a 3 block section that has one intersection with a camera pointed southbound, and another with cameras pointed north and south.

Add to this the other charges that the officer can usually be talked into by a smartmouth, such as reckless driving and reckless endangerment, and that liscense can be going away for awhile, much less the jump in insurance rates.

A little story. I saw a lady pass a stopped school bus, several kids in the minivan. A grass median does not count as a median. Kids were starting to cross the road. She was doing at least 45 in a 35 on a road where the RPD constantly sit. Me, I am Pavlov’s dog on that stretch of road. Cop tagged her. I talked to him later that day, and he told me he was just going to give her the ticket for failure to stop for a school bus. She argued with him. So he slapped her with speeding, improper passing (she blew by in the right lane) and reckless endangerment, as well. Plus, an expired inspection sticker (that is a $250 fine in NC, there is no grace period.) So, provided that all charges were applied in full, and, based on what the officer told me, they would, that is 5 points for the bus, 4 for reckless driving (goes with the endangerment, which carries it’s own penalties, as well), illegal passing is 4 (he said that one might be thrown out), and 2 for the speeding. That is 11 without the passing.

Seven points may get you assigned to a Drivers Clinic, 12 can get you a 60 day suspension. And, that school bus thing will jump ones insurance payments through the roof. And, just to be clear, I am not making any reference to women drivers. Is just one of my better driving stories. Ask me about getting popped for 105 in a 55 some time. I had been doing about 150 about 10 minutes prior to that. :)

Check out Pops Tops, America Warmonger’s Dad, for how being crotchety is an art form. If he keeps writing like that, he should become a Large Mammal easily.