"Did you know?" Experiences with the ACPD and a run in with an aggressive motorist…

[Tim Kelley]

Did you know that Arlington has an “Aggressive Driver Program?” Me neither!

Last week I had a run in with an aggressive motorist (nearly sideswiping me as the car tried to shoal me and the baby at a stop sign and speeding off around a turn) and reported it to the ACPD. It wasn’t enough of an interaction with the motorist to merit a 911 call, but I’m glad I did report it to the non-emergency police number because I felt like I had a generally favorable response.

After a little back and forth I learned that there is a Aggressive Driver Program in which a public service letter is sent to the registered owner advising them of the complaint and reminding them that their actions do impact others. The intent of the letter is to raise awareness of aggressive driving and the dangers it presents. There is no court appearance or DMV penalties assessed and personal information is not disclosed.

The ACPD website is a bit spotty on information, although I’m told that it will be updated. I guess in the meantime, reporting it through the non-emergency police number (703-558-2222) and asking for a letter to be sent would be the way to go.

Remember, be a PAL!

Topic

[mstone]

@dasgeh 52619 wrote:

I just think you’re wrong on this one.[/quote]

I’d be perfectly happy to be wrong.

Quote:

The ped stopped moving to avoid the collision, because the driver wasn’t yielding the right of way.

Now prove that.

Quote:

Do you have any legal basis (e.g. court opinion) to back yourself up?

Nope, all the precedents I know of involve collisions, which was basically my point. I welcome precedents supporting the competing position.

[baiskeli]

The two of you kept squeezing every little nuance of how to cross the street while I was gone? No fair.

[dasgeh]

@mstone 52624 wrote:

Nope, all the precedents I know of involve collisions, which was basically my point. I welcome precedents supporting the competing position.

I know for a fact cops hand out tickets for this stuff. You wouldn’t get a judicial opinion for a plea or an administrative proceeding finding guilt. General, you would only find an opinion if it gets escalated (i.e. the tickets are overturned). So the lack of opinions isn’t good for your argument.

BTW, even ACPD doesn’t go as far as you’re going (no collision = no violation). They’re willing to hand out tickets if the car is “far enough” away from the crosswalk, and there isn’t a line of cars between that car and the crosswalk. My issue that started this is that ACPD (1) seems to think that the presence of a line of cars matters and (2) seems to think that the behavior of the ped effects the requirement to yield, which isn’t a plain reading of the statute (so even with a collision, there may not be a violation by the driver).

[mstone]

Hey, if you can get a local jurisdiction to go on a crosswalk safety blitz and they hand out a bunch of tickets that stick, more power to you. Just remember that I’m playing devil’s advocate in a place where people manage to get tickets thrown out where there’s a picture of the violation…

[Author]

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