ASK A COP — What’s the right number to call to report bad drivers?

Published 12:02 am Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Patricia asks: If I’m driving down the highway and there’s a person weaving in and out of traffic, almost causing other motorists to run off the road to avoid a collision, should I call the police regular line or 911?

Answer: I do understand you asked this question because you don’t want to tie up the 911 emergency lines with your call, but the scene you just described is an EMERGENCY. We need you and all motorists to be good witnesses and eyes for law enforcement officers to address this aggressive driving behavior. Police officers are not everywhere, but citizens like you are everywhere, and we need and depend on citizens to report any driving behavior that is unsafe and life-threatening. We have more people hurt and killed every year by drivers not paying attention behind the wheel of a motor vehicle than violent crimes committed by gangsters, robbers and thieves. So, next time you see someone driving in such an erratic manner where they are a danger to others and themselves, please pick up the phone, dial 9-1-1, and give a detailed description of the vehicle, location and direction of travel to the dispatcher.

Fred asks: My friend says he was arrested for going 10 mph over the speed limit. I believe he’s pulling my leg. Can someone be arrested for going 10 mph over the posted speed limit?

Answer: What puzzles me is if there’s a misconception about drivers being arrested for going 10 mph over the posted limit, then why are so many motorists risking their freedom to speed? It doesn’t appear your friend is filling you in on every detail of his supposed arrest. In the State of Texas, a driver canNOT be arrested for the sole charge of speeding. No matter if it’s 10 mph or 50 mph over the posted limit, no police officer can arrest a driver just for speeding. Your friend either was stopped by a police officer for speeding and was arrested for another crime or your friend is just pulling your leg … (smile).

Valencia asks: Please help me and my daughter solve something about the restriction A on her license. She almost never drives with her glasses on because she swears she can see just fine. However, I told her she needs to wear her glasses, and she says she only needs them at night and not the daytime. I told her she’s breaking the law. Is it permissible to have an “A” restriction and alter whether to wear glasses or not?

Answer: The state of Texas has a standardized vision test that everyone who has a license issued to them must pass. Well, apparently, your daughter couldn’t pass the vision test unless she had on corrective lenses. With that said, the State of Texas requires ALL motorists with the restriction “A” on their license to have corrective lenses on every time they’re operating a motor vehicle on any roadway. It doesn’t matter whether she feels she can see or not. She is driving against her restriction in the daytime and every time she drives without her corrective lens. I can’t begin to tell you how many motorists I’ve stopped with the restriction “A” on their license, and they had to dig for their glasses out of their purse or glove box. Basically the State of Texas says you can’t drive a vehicle unless you have on corrective lenses.

Join Me, Officer Rickey Antoine and the crew of Stephen “Buzzard Boots” Mosley, Lelo “mouth of Hwy 69/73” I. Washington and Tejas “Lil Man” Morning Star for Ask A Cop live on KSAP 96.9 FM, The Breeze radio station every Tuesday from 1 to 3 p.m. Tune in via the Internet at ksapthebreeze.org. Call in questions live at 409-982-0247. Email questions to rickey.antoine@portarthurtx.gov, call 409-983-8673 for voice mail or mail them to 645 4th Street, Port Arthur, Texas, 77640. If you happen to see me in public, you can always approach and “Ask A Cop!”