Reporting dangerous driving.

[cold comfort]

I guess it depends on the perceived seriousness of the "alleged" offence. Obviously one would vigorously pursue a complaints process if a drunk driver etc but fumbling for ones own cellphone on a bike is prob not worth the effort, i believe. But i take your point SD!

[terbang]

I once observed a fuckwit in a Toyota SUV who tailgated another car for a while and then overtook (with the usual lack of performance that diesels have) into oncoming traffic and pushed someone into the shoulder. Complete disregard for others safety. I got his number and dobbed him in on the police website, was quite prepared to stand as a witness, look him in the eye and tell em how it was. I recieved a letter in the mail from the police advising me that I had screwed up by incorrectly stating the model of the vehicle though I got the type, colour and plate right. There were words to the effect that it wasn't going any further and bla bla bla about police comittment to road safety and so on. Yeah right, so this dick has a hazardous attitude, unashamedly endangers others wellness and continues to do so unabated, because I can't tell the difference between a hilux, surf, landcruiser, bighorn or whatever! Dunno why they bother with number plates, oh hang on there are speed cameras I guess.

[scumdog]

Yeah, it happens terbang and it pisses me off - you give it your best shot and somebody drops the ball!!

But I once got a flat bottle of beer but it hasn't stopped me asking for bottles of beer...if you know what I mean.

[Grahameeboy]

I once observed a fuckwit in a Toyota SUV who tailgated another car for a while and then overtook (with the usual lack of performance that diesels have) into oncoming traffic and pushed someone into the shoulder. Complete disregard for others safety. I got his number and dobbed him in on the police website, was quite prepared to stand as a witness, look him in the eye and tell em how it was. I recieved a letter in the mail from the police advising me that I had screwed up by incorrectly stating the model of the vehicle though I got the type, colour and plate right. There were words to the effect that it wasn't going any further and bla bla bla about police comittment to road safety and so on. Yeah right, so this dick has a hazardous attitude, unashamedly endangers others wellness and continues to do so unabated, because I can't tell the difference between a hilux, surf, landcruiser, bighorn or whatever! Dunno why they bother with number plates, oh hang on there are speed cameras I guess.

Just say "Car".

Is silly eh when you had the rest right...........I mean the Speed Camera's take the rego and it would not be able to necessarily tell the model....Cops have to do an Ltsa check on the find this out. Plus I thought that most speed cameras took black and white as colour not so good so if this is the case then your response seems a bit lame

[Grahameeboy]

Yeah, it happens terbang and it pisses me off - you give it your best shot and somebody drops the ball!!

But I once got a flat bottle of beer but it hasn't stopped me asking for bottles of beer...if you know what I mean.

True but at least you have a choice of beers?

Here is one to avoid

[sprag]

Last time i used *555 was big day out last year going into town around 10am some teenage twits in a old car that did not look like it should be on the road was cutting people off, tail gating, yelling at people, flashing lights, etc even saw them take a space way to small and slam on there breaks and almost ram up the butt of another car,

So i called *555 and told the lady at the comms centre, gave the rego number and the make and colour of the car, she then said there was little they could do and next time don't call *555 and goto the police website.

[Usarka]

This resource is wasted on an overabundance of callers who whine on "No, I don't want to make a formal complaint but I think the driver needs a bit of a rev up"
....
(Walks away with head shaking at the fuckin' ignorance/excessive trolling of some KBers)
.....
(Also awaits massive refuting of above post)

Woohoo! Me first!

From the police marketing:

What is *555 used for?
*555 is the number to call on cellphones to report poor driver behaviour, non-urgent traffic incidents and road hazards.

The Police Communications Centres answer about 320,000 *555 calls every year.

If something dangerous is happening on the road, call 111.

(shakes his head that the cops don't even know how their own service is supposed to be used.

[Ixion]

I do not, in general, approve of motorists dobbing in other motorists. Contrary to the Biker Code.

But I will sometimes use either *555 or the Roadwatch form preemptively.

Sometimes when pootling along I will encounter some doddery imcompetant old fool or fooless , who I can tell takes objection to something I have done. Usually, my overtaking him/her, quite safely, but such types just object to being overtaken at all, despite the fact that they have been muppeting along at 30kph under the limit for the last 20km and have a tail of twenty vehicles cursing behind them. But, sometimes, just the fact that I exist and patently do not subscribe to their world view of dull constrictive greyness (the really scary thing is that half the geriatric fools are much younger than I).

In such cases I am concerned least the dodder lodge a complaint call against me. Only giving their one eyed slanted view of course, firmly based on their own incompetance.

So, I get my own in, hopefully first. Either a *555 call about a selfish and inconsiderate driver: or a road watch form. That way if they dob me in, I can point to my own complaint which was (importantly) lodged before my being approached by the cops.

What I do is make a small transposition in the rego number of their vehicle. Cops will come back and say it doesn't match, oh well never mind. But if they do come to me with the dodder's complaint, I can point to the call I lodged, and observe that the number , although slightly wrong, obviously relates to them. So, if they don't dob me, no harm on either side. If they do, I am covered.


One tip, though. If you use the Roadwatch form, don't put your own rego number. Firstly, because it is unwise to draw your rego to the attention of the snakes, and secondly because it will identify to them that you are a biker. The chances of a complaint from a motorcyclist being taken seriously are zero.

[Patrick]

After which I wrote some annoyed emails to Helen Clarke, Minister of Transport and Annette King.

At which point I was emailed by an investigative Officer who tells me my dealings with Northcomms and the conflicting info in regards are being looked into and investigated. (Stalling)

By writing to the minister, you turned that complaint into a ministerial complaint. "Stalling" it is not... fine toothed combing in progress and watch the result... Be patient, grasshopper...

Fuck there's a lot of whinging sniveling nay-sayers on KB these days!!

Anybody with a scanner will hear what happens with a *555 call.

This resource is wasted on an overabundance of callers who whine on "No, I don't want to make a formal complaint but I think the driver needs a bit of a rev up"
So we get dispatched to a Priority One job to (hopefully if the witness/complainants directions/location and direction of travel ARE correct) stop a driver who unless is disqualified/drunk or similar is likely to be told "We had a complaint about the manner this vehicle was being driven blah blah blah...please drive safely"

If no formal complaint (i.e. prepared to appear in court as a witness) is forthcoming then the offending driver can only be dealt with as the attending cop sees it ... no offences detected = no tickets written or summons doled out.

(Walks away with head shaking at the fuckin' ignorance/excessive trolling of some KBers)


(Also awaits massive refuting of above post)

So..... so....... true!!!!

Those that come in wanting a "rev up given" simply go to the bottom of the to do lists.... and probably never surface.

Those willing to be witnesses in a prosecution are "dealt with" promptly down here.

And yes the *555 is for minor shit, but in saying that, I followed a drunk south into Wanganui giving directions on *555 as we went and the Wanganui crews intercepted.

If urgent, ring 111.

If urgent, *555 will also do...

Do nothing, get nothing......

[Tank]

I used *555 the other day - miles out from Matakana. Police were there in 15mins (impressive as we were a long way out) pull over the car that we were following and possibly saved a life that day.

So - yes - sometimes the system works !

[Patrick]

I used *555 the other day - miles out from Matakana. Police were there in 15mins (impressive as we were a long way out) pull over the car that we were following and possibly saved a life that day.

So - yes - sometimes the system works !

More often than you think. But only the ones that don't work are whinged on about on here.

Just before Xmas, a car following a tanker rang up the tanker company (a neighbours mate we just met at a BBQ was the boss), complaining of bad driving, probably drunk. The Company asked for the callers details but they didn't want to (and I can understand why...)

The company was on to it. They called the cops, radioed up the driver for his location and guided the cops into him. Sure enough, WAY over the drink drive limit. (blew over 1000)

Company only wanted to send a gift of appreciation/apology to the caller. Good on them too.

The drink drive matter made a brief mention in the paper, but the whole story was such a better one....

[judecatmad]

Is it worth it? Forgive a newcomer to these fine isles, but we have some sort of telephone hotline for this don't we? *555 or somesuch? Is there anypoint? Do things get done, is it recorded?

No point at all. The 2 times I have called *555 I have been thanked for my call and told that nothing will be done unless I now take myself off to the local police station to report the same driving I have just reported over the phone.

And even then I imagine all that would happen would be a 'don't do it again' letter would get sent out to the vehicle owner (who may not have even been the driver at the time.....go figure).

Pointless waste of time and resources IMHO.

[judecatmad]

Fuck there's a lot of whinging sniveling nay-sayers on KB these days!!

Anybody with a scanner will hear what happens with a *555 call.

This resource is wasted on an overabundance of callers who whine on "No, I don't want to make a formal complaint but I think the driver needs a bit of a rev up"

So we get dispatched to a Priority One job to (hopefully if the witness/complainants directions/location and direction of travel ARE correct) stop a driver who unless is disqualified/drunk or similar is likely to be told "We had a complaint about the manner this vehicle was being driven blah blah blah...please drive safely"

If no formal complaint (i.e. prepared to appear in court as a witness) is forthcoming then the offending driver can only be dealt with as the attending cop sees it ... no offences detected = no tickets written or summons doled out.

(Walks away with head shaking at the fuckin' ignorance/excessive trolling of some KBers)


(Also awaits massive refuting of above post)

SD, it's not so much that I would expect to see a patrol car instantly take up pursuit, but that each time I have used *555 (bearing in mind this is only my own personal experience - there do seem to be some good results having read the thread right the way through) I have basically been given the impression that the service is a completely impotent one, unable to do anything without a formal complaint being laid at the local police station.

Now, I'm sure I don't have the shortest memory in the world (well, maybe at the moment that's debatable..LOL), but the reason I call *555 is to report make & model of car, plus a driver description and give a full run-down of the poor driving whilst I both remember the details and am cross enough about the idiot to actually do something about it.

By the time I get to the local police station I am liable to have forgotten many of the pertinent details. I'm also likely to have cooled off somewhat and may well feel that it's not worth the hassle, which means that said idiot driver gets away with it again. Furthermore, I don't have an awful lot of spare time to go trolling off to report something a second time and, to be honest, I intensely dislike the sitting around at the station, with the dodgy sorts that are already there, waiting for 15-20 minutes to be seen by a front desk person who clearly doesn't want to be doing that job and really isn't all that interested in what you have to say anyway.

Perhaps I have just had bad *555 experiences and should give them another go. My opinion, as I said, is based purely on my own experience to date (limited tho that may be!).

[Grub]

No it isn't. You get a letter thanking you for your input. If say that you will happily front up to court if necessary they get a hell of shock and then get all grumpy and give you a lecture about resource limitations. It's just a sop to make the "public" feel like something is "being done".

Total bullshit ... get the chip off your shoulder Jim.

*555 calls about seriously bad driving are followed up. Get a scanner and listen sometime.

I was following a vehicle south along the Porirua Motorway and he couldn't hold a lane. I styed with him at their request as they got units into the area. It took a while but 3 cars finally boxed him in Middleton Rd after be had gone down the motorway exit the wrong way.

Then there was the night the drunk driver on Sh58 nearly took out two cars and a bike by being on the wrong side of the road, they got him just before Pauatahanui.

Listen to the scanner and see how many *555 "1U" calls are passed on as priority 1 before you all mouth off about 'revenue gathering'

[judecatmad]

*555 calls about seriously bad driving are followed up. Get a scanner and listen sometime.

I think that's the thing tho Grub - it seems that some people have had superb experiences with the service, which is fantastic to hear about, but also some people have had experiences which make them feel that the service truly may as well not exist.

I guess it's the same as any contact centre type operation - you get phone answerers who are really passionate about their jobs, and others who simply couldn't give a stuff. I suppose we always just expect more from these sorts of services than from the Telecom call centre (for instance!).

Having now read some of the reports on here, I think I'd be willing to give *555 another shot, but until I get more than a 'please would you now go and report it in person' response, there will be a definite grain of salt held on to!