Driving Bullies – 1 BG OGR

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
September 8, 2007

Aren’t the bullies in Woodstock driving huge pick-up trucks “fun”? Many times I think we need a cop at every intersection, just watching for an aggrieved driver to point out a reckless driver. Or, better yet, to witness the violation themselves and write the ticket, so that a citizen wouldn’t have to make a complaint and go to court himself to have an errant driver answer for his traffic violations.

Friday afternoon I was driving south on IL 47 from the courthouse in Woodstock, when a driver in a grey GMC Sierra two-door pick-up truck stopped right on my bumper at McHenry Avenue. I mean, soooooo close that I couldn’t even see his front license plate. Now that’s close…

When the light turned green and I proceeded, he stayed v-e-r-y close to me. I was able to read his license plate – 1 BG OGR (one big ogre). There is only one lane southbound (unless you want to pass illegally in the two-way left turn lane), so he couldn’t get around me until we passed McDonald’s. He started around, and then a car slowed in front of him to turn into the Citgo station. The bully in the pick-up suddenly changed lanes in front of me without a signal and I had to brake for that idiot.

Fortunately, I had anticipated such a move and had left room for him.

Drivers with personalized, easily-remembered license plates ought to know better. It was shift-change at Woodstock PD (3:56PM) and I knew all the cops were off the road at the police station, so there was no point in calling.

If you see this guy in his big pick-up (license plate “1 BG OGR”), stay out of his way if you value the nice paint on your car.