And you thought these things only happened to sailorjim

[gridlore]

I have mentioned Vasco Road in the past. Running from Livermore to Brentwood, Vasco passes through some of the most beautiful countryside on my route, along with the always-impressive wind farms along Altamont Pass.

It is also home to some of the worst, most idiotic drivers I've ever seen. Today was a good example.

Heading north, Vasco climbs pretty sharply before hitting a long downhill into Brentwood. On that incline stretch, there are several place where the normal one-lane road expands into two, so us slow pokes can move to the right and allow the speeders to pass and find the CHP for us. Once you hit the Contra Costa County line, the road collapses back into a single lane northbound for about 12 miles. So if you don't pass in those stretches, you're stuck.

Today, I became part of drama. Ahead of me was a big rig pulling a double gravel hauler. He was doing 45mph on the downgrade, a reasonable speed (the limit is 55.) Behind him was a white Acura, then me.

The lady in the Acura was insane. She was tailgating, honking her horn, dropping back and racing up... all in an area where the poor trucker couldn't pull over. No shoulder for much of this drive. Finally we reach Camino Diablo, where the road briefly widens to two lanes for right turns. The standard is that us trucks (of all sizes) move to the right to allow the long-suffering cars to pass us. Sure enough, the hauler slows down and pulls into the right lane, and the Acura and I stay to the left. I start to accelerate to get past the truck when the Acura hits the brakes. I hit the brakes and the horn at the same time.

This is where it gets weird. The lady driving the Acura is holding up a camera and is taking pictures of the truck's cab! The poor trucker is crawling at this point, and the Acura keeps slowing. Finally, running out of space, the rig pulls back onto the road and the circus rolls on.

About a mile down the road is a speed trap. We all know it. So the truck, the Acura, and I all pull over. The Sheriff's deputy was quite amused to see all of us pile out, and the lady immediately began screeching at the cop that she wanted us both arrested. The trucker for intentionally preventing her from driving as fast as she could, and me for, and I quote, "trying to keep her from her constitutional right to collect evidence!"

The deputy, The Winslow bless him, kept his cool. He asked to see the pictures. The lady proudly showed them (evidently I missed her taking a shitload of pictures while tailgating on a winding narrow road.) After hearing our tales, seeing the pictures, and hearing the lady admit to taking them he issued a ticket.

To the Acura driver. For tailgating, reckless driving, and criminal lack of active brain cells. I thought she was furious before! I seriously expected to be splattered with blood when she had the stroke.

The Deputy got information from the other trucker and me, and confiscated the camera as evidence. When I left, the woman was still shrieking.

Comments

[taschoene.livejournal.com]

It's things like this that make me believe in that there may be some justice in the universe.

[cmdr-zoom.livejournal.com]

Sometimes, there is justice.

[mdlbear]

Sometimes, there is a cop when you want one.

I'm just a bit surprised

[capplor.livejournal.com]

I"m quite sure that the description "criminal lack of active brain cells" is correct. I just never heard of anybody really getting arrested for it.

[fimbrethil.livejournal.com]

Adding my voice to those who said that it's nice to see there is some justice in this world.

[kengr]

Pity that even if there *is* justice enough for her to get her license suspended, there's *no* chance she'll *learn* from it.

Wish there was a way to test for that sort of "rules don't apply to me" and "sense of entitlement". Then we might be able to catch them early and keep them out of places (like behind the wheel) where they are a danger to others.

[kengr]

Sort of apropos:

http://www.fugly.com/pictures/6078/DrivingTestQuestion.html

[bunyip.livejournal.com]

I love it

[dalen-talas.livejournal.com]

Yep, she definitely got what she deserved.

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

Hooray! Finally, one of the fuggheads gets what she deserves! I'm going to link to this from my own LJ. It's too good not to share.

[cherylmorgan.livejournal.com]

Oh, absolutely! Blog post done.

[calimac.livejournal.com]

I came here via kevin_standlee. Great story, but there are some things in it I don't quite follow. If you don't mind:

The standard is that us trucks (of all sizes) move to the right to allow the long-suffering cars to pass us. Sure enough, the hauler slows down and pulls into the right lane, and the Acura and I stay to the left.

So, you're driving a very light truck?

The lady driving the Acura is holding up a camera and is taking pictures of the truck's cab! ... evidently I missed her taking a shitload of pictures while tailgating on a winding narrow road.

Were these two different sets of pictures (one from next to the truck and one from behind it), or did you not see her taking the pictures that you're describing first? If you did see her do it, did she still have a hand on the wheel at all?

About a mile down the road is a speed trap. We all know it. So the truck, the Acura, and I all pull over.

Were you all speeding? If you knew it was a speed trap, why were you speeding? If the cop pulled everyone over without their speeding, why is the fact that it's a speed trap relevant? How does a single cop simultaneously pull over three cars in a row, anyway? Whichever car that starts to pull over that the cop pulls over behind, the other two will think it's not them.

I know these are picky; I'm just trying to understand your great story more clearly.

[gridlore.livejournal.com]

1. I drive an International DT4300. This is a 21' flatbed. Normally I'd stay right as well, but my load was so light (one pallet weighing about 800lbs) that I'd thought to take advantage of the chance to pass.

2. She had been taking pictures all the way down the grade from what I could see. I didn't see her taking any until I almost rear-ended her because of my following distance and the fact that from where I sit in my cab it's hard to see into cars in front of me.

3. We weren't speeding, but it is a location where truckers who use Vasco know there is likely to be a police officer of some stripe waiting for his prey. The cop didn't pull us over, we all pulled off to the side of the road, the gravel hauler first, so this situation could be resolved.

[lizw.livejournal.com]

Fantastic! The last encounter I had with that particular species of nutter ended less happily. This makes me feel a whole lot better.

Ah, Instant Karma...

[yohannon.livejournal.com]

...just add water. :-P

I often wonder what those types of people are thinking -- not that I stay awake nights over it, but it's nice to know that my assumptions are pretty much on the mark.

Good thing I wasn't there -- I probably would have gotten a nice, "Scanners" level head explosion by snarking about how she lost her right to piggish self-entitlement after last week's elections. ;-)

~Y~

[chocolatescifi.livejournal.com]

Since when is there a constitutional right to collect evidence? And for what reason was she collecting evidence?

And how hard were you and the other trucker laughing as you drove away?

[gridlore.livejournal.com]

That got a "WTF?" look from the cop as well. I guess she was planning on contacting the trucker's company and getting him fired/sued/burned at the stake.

We weren't laughing, but he and I shared a grim "can you believe this shit?" headshake.

[robertprior.livejournal.com]

Thanks. That story makes my day :-)

[lagringa.livejournal.com]

That is CLASSIC!!! Rock on!

*chuckle*

[tracytreefrog.livejournal.com]

I drive 4 from Tracy to Antioch (I try to avoid Vasco for this very reason)so I can so see that happening! Glad you survived her craziness.

[lysana.livejournal.com]

Lovely story, and I have just the icon for it.