The Crittenden Automotive Library

Reckless Driver in Jewel-Osco Lot

Reckless Driver in Jewel-Osco Lot

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
June 29, 2008

It's getting so that you take your life in your hands, when you shop at the Jewel-Osco in Woodstock. Sure, groceries cost an arm and a leg, and the price of gas to get to Jewel is almost enough to cause a heart attack.

But should you have to risk your life just to navigate the parking lot and find a parking place?

The driver of this old, rusty, Dodge Ram pick-up truck (license 17 999R) was quite impatient this afternoon and was apparently having trouble finding a parking place. As I stopped at one of the stop signs and allowed customers with shopping carts to pass in front of me, he exited a row and turned in behind me. (Although he stopped closely behind me, I was most appreciative that he didn't hit my car.)

I turned into the next parking aisle. As I pulled into a space, he "gunned" it and took off for the end of the aisle, then whipped a left U-turn and hit the accelerator hard, causing his tires to squeal, and headed back toward the store. Then he pulled in sharply and braked to a stop, past the dividing line between facing cars in the parking lot.

As I walked over to get a picture of his truck, the driver of the car next to the truck was backing out, and that driver spoke to me about the pick-up truck driver's speed and carelessness. He said he was glad his kids had not been in his car and that the truck had almost hit his car, when the driver pulled into the parking space.

Tire-squealing is actually an element of a Reckless Driving charge. The thought crossed my mind that two of us (the driver in the other car and I) might tilt the odds in favor of a conviction in McHenry County Traffic Court. At any rate, the pick-up truck driver got a pass today.

Maybe one of Woodstock's Finest will observe this driver operating recklessly on City streets and find a way to invite this driver to pay a visit in Traffic Court. Let's hope so.

© 2008 GUS PHILPOTT