" What a coincidence...just Monday I called 911 dispatch about a motorist who just ignored to yield at the left hand turn at the entrance to Vine St. off the 198 east bound.

I gave dispatch the license plate number, the male dispatcher replies did he casue an accident. No but I had to use defensive driving to avert the collision. Just have the CHP or Lemmore PD contact the SOB.

I wonder if that stupid man was ever contcted by CHP or the Lemoore PD and questioned on his intentinal reckless driving reported by this concerned citizen.

The fact is he blatantly ignored the right-of-way traffic laws and turned unsafely into traffic while cars were exiting the westbound 198 onto Vine. He was aware he nearly caused a collision and drove down Vine very quickly.

Review that call 911 dispatchers and see if there is a connection to this incident, if not DO IT anyway and put the fear of revoking his license by ticketing him, "

" Thoughts I confess,
It almost sounds as if your post is meant to say that this officer somehow deserved to be in this accident because of your experience at that intersection. I don't know if this is your intent, but it just sounds that way.

As far as wondering if that person was ever contacted, you can always ask that the officer call you after (s)he contacts the person in question. "

" Hey "jeff s," what's the 411 on this since you're in the know? "

" Wow what a waste of the 911 system. Wouldn't a call to the CHP via their normal phone # be appropriate? "

" Was Thoughts I confess on the cell phone while driving? "

" Well Ladies,

If he was driving a hands-free cellphone IS allowed to be used, right?

And 911 calls are always allowed.

Or he was a commercial truck driver possibly.

Or operating a farming vehicle maybe.

And since one mother here thinks that an personally observed near accident is a "wasted" 911 call, I would ask that mother: who indeed has the local CHP number committed to memory anyway?

So its a wasted 911 system call to report an erratic driver and near accident in your book, eh, Deb?
___________________

* "The legislation exempts 911 calls and emergency personnel who need to use the phone as part of a response to a call. The bill also exempts operators of farming vehicles and commercial truck drivers."

Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/09/15/BAG75L6BJC1.DTL&type=politics "

" Ah yes, Alihandero - a near accident was observed. The key word being "near". No accident. Erratic well, that's such a subjective term.

1-800-tell chp is a number easily committed to memory and they will transfer you to the appropriate party.

BTW, Alihandero - when you go into the dispatcher's office to help them as you indicate you wish to do, why don't you ask them what they'd have suggested. "

" Deb, thank you for being so gracious to me especially when we agree on issues like the protection of our kids.

But I just don't get this line of thought so you will have to help me out:

If someone has a near accident (as Thoughts I confess described above) and needed to report an erratic and possibly drunk/impaired driver at speed OFF the freeway on Vine St., you say you want someone to push ELEVEN buttons for a toll free nonlocal CHP number INSTEAD of the three button universal 9-1-1 which goes directly to a local public safety service???

I would think that many people here including child protection organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving would say that wasn't a very responsive or sensible thing to do.

But I guess you can do it your way Deb if it works best for you.

Anyway, thank you again. "

" The best that can be said, Alihandero, is that both you and I are making a lot of assumptions - first the word erratic - that implies one thing, while someone who failed to yield at a left hand turn (as stated by Thoughts I confess) is something different. IF we were all to use the 911 system for people of the good county of Kings, every time someone almost caused an accident the 911 system would be backed up for days.

And, I use speed dial for certain calls... how 'bout you? "

" OK Deb,

I actually decline to use any mobile phone while driving - speed dial or otherwise.

I don't need hands-free because I have the good sense to STOP, pull off the road, and park before dialing/talking.

There is, however, a larger issue that possibly reflects your personality and mine.

Thoughts I confess wrote about the near accident, unsafe driving, and speeding, you chose to diminish the importance of the situation whereas I took the written facts as being 100% reportable for public safety reasons.

Thoughts I confess encountered this:

"...reckless driving reported by this concerned citizen."

"...a motorist who just ignored to yield at the left hand turn at the entrance to Vine St."

"I had to use defensive driving to avert the collision."

"...turned unsafely into traffic while cars were exiting the westbound 198 onto Vine..."

"He was aware he nearly caused a collision and drove down Vine very quickly."

Frankly Deb, it was as if you didn't believe what was documented here and I wonder if you forgot about protecting the kids and even other adults?

Perhaps my sense of responsibility is different than yours... "

" Perhaps you're right, Alihandero; you and I are very different.

The bottom line: To me, there's really not enough information in the post by the original poster to suggest a 911 call was warranted. Going fast down Vine st. doesn't mean much - he wasn't going so fast that the poster wasn't able to get the license plate#.

Nothing was stated about continued "erratic" driving to possibly indicate a drunk driver.

I encounter endless erratic drivers in Kings Co. Mostly stop sign and stop light runners. Last week it was at a 4 way stop at Lacey & 18th the car headed westbound ran the stop sign as it turned onto 18th.

Should I have called 911?

It comes down to a matter of judgment and words from someone who hasn't further defined what occurred.

Your assumptions side and expand on the aspect of the poster's comments and I question the assumptions of the poster especially considering the statement that he wants the offending driver's license revoked when in fact it's a traffic infraction - failing to yield the right of way. "

" Well OK Deb,

I believe that a good and responsible citizen would report a dangerous personally-experienced driving situation to the authorities right away if, in that person's judgement, it was important enough to do so.

You, on the other hand, assume that Thoughts I confess reported it in detail - even down to recording the license plate number - as a gesture of ill will or revenge or something OTHER than being public safety minded.

Assume I am wrong and you are right Deb:

By reporting this situation in the first place for whatever reason (mine or yours) the PUBLIC would have benefited from the report REGARDLESS of motive.

Unless you think so little of Thoughts I confess that you believe he/she is mean spirited and would lie to the authorities.

The fact that you do not want to err (if you are right this time and believe that it was a 'revenge report') on the side of public safety is beyond my grasp, Deb.

Unless you just like to argue with me all the time. "

" Nope - don't care to argue with you Alihandero - your assumptions about me are false. My one and only point is there are options other than tying up the 911 system. You disagree. Simple as that. "

" Deb wrote on Oct 14, 2009 10:30 AM:
" Nope - don't care to argue with you Alihandero - your assumptions about me are false."

I an sorry that my "assumptions" about you are incorrect, but all I had to go with are your written words here on these Sentinel online posts.

Of course I can be wrong, if you say so. "

" this just in last week: lemoore cop at fault. swerved into fast lane at high rate of speed and sideswiped car already in that lane. no hit and run. seems like the cop needs a driver training course but should be ticketed for failure to yield the right of way. I live in Lemoore and see them on their cell phones 24/7 so its a wonder there aren't more accidents involving law enforcement personnel in Lemoore "