THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 21, 1995 TAG: 9504200146
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: The Road Warrior
LENGTH: Long : 123 lines
Road saw something this week that plum ticked me off.
I was driving down Baxter Road, toward Princess Anne, when a driver came barreling out of a grocery store parking lot and almost ran me clear off the road.
As if that wasn't bad enough, the driver of the maroon sedan continued weaving in and out of traffic, almost sideswiping another car in the process.
At Princess Anne, the driver turned left. Road was heading the same way, but made sure to stay several car lengths behind.
It didn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that the driver was intoxicated. Very intoxicated. The car continued to swerve and sway from lane to lane.
Finally, Road had enough and took a quick left into a 7-Eleven parking lot and picked up the phone to call 911.
It took about 20 seconds of serious thinking before Road actually picked up the phone to report the driver. What if the person was sick, not drunk? What if he or she was having a seizure? Could Road be sued for being wrong?
The questions were worrisome, but time was important, so Road told the dispatcher everything - the make and model of the car, color, license plate number and the direction it was headed.
The dispatcher kindly thanked Road for the information and hung up.
Later, Road found out from police public relations specialist Mike Carey that the reason the dispatcher didn't take Road's name and number was because police likely wouldn't need a witness once they determined for themselves whether the driver was drunk. So, the suing thing was no longer a problem.
As for reporting drunk drivers, or even those who are recklessly speeding, you have that right, and all 911 dispatchers should be happy to take the information that is subsequently broadcast to patrol cars in the area.
Of course, the chances of finding drunk drivers actually driving is slim even when they're reported. Their course is unknown so if a police officer finds an offender such as this there's usually a bit of luck involved.
As for the driver Road encountered, the police weren't able to locate the car, though they tried for 30 minutes. If and when they do find a driver, they can pretty much determine for themselves if the person is drunk by watching him or her drive, too.
As for worrying if the person was sick . . . it would have been good to get involved because if the person was that sick he or she could have needed some sort of medical help.
The main thing that made Road pick up that phone and dial was the thought of all the families with children who live just down the road.
If I were a resident anywhere near Princess Anne Road, I would have wanted someone to call on that person to get him or her off the street and keep my family and neighbors safe.
No, Road isn't a resident, just an average Joe who doesn't appreciate drunk people driving around our streets.
Road hopes that you, as well as your friends and family members, will take the lead when you see this happening and not hesitate to stop and call. Even if you do end up wrong, you may still be saving a person's life, whether it be the driver or an unwitting family in another car.
Call 911. They want these phone calls and even have a program called Report All Intoxicated Drivers (R.A.I.D.) to encourage folks to call.
Carey says in 1994 the department had 171 calls from citizens reporting intoxicated drivers.
SNARLS OF THE WEEK
The following people called Road's INFOLINE number with their complaints.
Jean Drudge, Aragona. I have a complaint about the light at CHEYENNE and PRINCESS ANNE ROAD. In trying to get out of Princess Anne from Cheyenne you have to wait five minutes. You can drive yourself back and forth, back and forth and it will not turn over. I have had to go through this light more than once when it was red in order to get out. I am tired of waiting.
Can you please have somebody check on it? Thanks. Bye.
RW: Road's happy to pass that on to engineers, Jean. Sounds as though it could be a bad loop, the wire in the road that detects whether a car's sitting there or not.
Gail, no address given. Why aren't all of the white lines painted in Virginia Beach with the white reflecting paint? It's hard at night when you drive in the rain because cars make their own lanes and sometimes drift into your lane.
RW: Actually, there are reflective lines but the reflectivity wears down in about six months.
Currently, the city's in the process of switching from a painted reflective line to a highly reflective beaded-glass line called Thermal Plastic Markings. These lines are much more reflective and last a lot longer, up to eight years.
Of course, it'll take a while for all the old painted lines to be replaced, but that's the goal.
Pamela Robinson, no address given. I hope you can help me. I'm trying to find out where the money that the people pay for driving without insurance goes? Everybody I've talked to says they don't know.
If we get hit by them it doesn't do us any good. Bye.
RW: The Uninsured Motorist Fee - $400 a year - is basically a fee that you pay upon your registration's renewal that says, ``Yes, I'm an uninsured driver and I'm admitting it by paying this fee.''
Paying the fee doesn't mean you aren't responsible for any accidents you cause. It only means that your license won't be taken away for driving without insurance, because you've paid the uninsured motorist fee.
The 1994-95 Virginia Driver's Manual says it best `` . . . it only allows you to drive an uninsured vehicle at your own risk.''
Every vehicle in Virginia must have either liability coverage or pay the uninsured motorist fee. The $400 fee, collected by DMV, is appropriated for use in administering the insurance monitoring program, where DMV sends out letters to individuals to be sure everyone has insurance or is paying the fee.
The remaining revenue is transferred to the State Corporation Commission that distributes the funds to insurance liability companies to help offset the cost of paying for the uninsured motorists.
This information comes courtesy of Jeannie Chenault, DMV spokesperson.
Road's often wondered about our uninsured motorist deal. Personally, Road thinks someone who can't afford insurance doesn't need to be driving, period.
After all, there have been times that Road didn't eat so that insurance payments could be made, and I expect the same from fellow citizens. MEMO: Tell the Road Warrior about your motoring problems. Get 'em off your
chest. Call on Infoline, at 640-5555. After a brief message, dial ROAD
(7623). When directed, press 1 to deliver your message, and 1 again to
sign off.
Or, write: The Road Warrior, Virginia Beach Beacon, 4565 Virginia
Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach, Va. 23462.
Don't forget to include your name, address and neighborhood.
by CNB