Gotcha!

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
April 8, 2008

By now, many readers know I don't like tailgaters. And I don't like speeders. And I really don't like drivers who tailgate and speed and then pass me in a no-passing zone. Especially on Bull Valley Road!

Who was it this time? A female driver (no, not Danika what's-her-name) in a red Mazda SUV with Illinois license 741 4543. At least, I think that was the license. She was so close to the back end of my car that I had trouble seeing her front license plate beneath the spoiler on the back of my car.

So, what happened this morning? As I drove east on Country Club Road from Route 47, this young woman got right on my bumper in the 30MPH zone in Woodstock, traveling east from the Post Office. Now, I don't like the 30MPH zone here; it's unreasonably low. But the speed limit is the Speed Limit. It's not the "minimum recommended speed"; it's the limit - the Maximum.

She tried to get me to go faster by getting right on my tail. I hit the four-way flashers a couple of times, but she was brave and stuck right there. She did drop back a little when I increased my speed at the 40MPH sign, but then she crawled right up on the back end of my car again. Same at the 45MPH sign as you enter Bull Valley.

It looked like she was going to pass and, sure enough, she did - right at the entrance to The Sanctuary and right in the middle of a long No-Passing Zone. I estimated her speed at 60-65MPH, as she passed me in the 45 zone.

And then? She crawled right up on the back end of the car in front of her that was traveling at 45MPH. She stuck like glue to that car and then turned left to go east on Crystal Springs Road.

I reported her to the McHenry County Sheriff's Department as a "reckless driving" violator (tailgating, speeding, illegal passing); even offered to prosecute, if a deputy could get her stopped. But the S/O never called me back, so I guess no deputy could intercept her.

Also, I later reported her to the Bull Valley P.D. Maybe they'll keep an eye out for her. My guess is that she commutes on that roadway and is a regular just after 7:30AM. A driver like that is going to cause a b-a-d accident one of these days. If you see her coming at you, give her a wide berth. Expect her to pass you and just keep your fingers crossed that there is no one coming.