Everybody slips up ...

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
October 17, 2009

... once in a while.

Yesterday I was driving behind a marked Woodstock Police car on Lake Avenue from Route 47 (no, I wasn't "stalking" the driver; I just happened to be behind it at the light). When the driver turned into the police department employee parking lot, the driver did not signal until he was about one car length from the driveway. Maybe he was distracted; maybe he was talking to the others in the car; maybe he was trying to figure out why traffic in front of him had slowed down to about 25MPH before speeding back up.

Why do I write about this? Because I had a $125 "education" from a Woodstock police officer to remember to signal within 100' of an intersection earlier in the year.

OK, so every driver slips up once in a while. I did. He did. Only he didn't get a $125 "reminder" to signal continuously for no less than 100' before turning.

Should I have pulled in behind the driver and asked him to cite himself for failing to signal within 100' of a turn? Would he have written himself a ticket?

Should I have called the sergeant-on-duty and asked him to take my complaint, cite the driver, and let me know the court date?

When I was visiting the courthouse yesterday morning for the Dalby (Pribla) hearing, a man was commenting to one of the courthouse security staff that he had just paid a $50.00 traffic fine PLUS $200 in court costs! And he had driven from Lake Bluff to pay it.

My point is that, if "education" of the driver is "as always" the goal of the police department, as stated in the October traffic initiative, then educate...