I-Team: Report My Driving-What Happens When You Call in a State Vehicle?

by Dale Russell
Aired 11-4-2015
Sonny Holman says he was leaving for work when a white state of Georgia van flew by his home in Cedartown. He was so angry he followed the driver.
“When I got up the road there,” Holman says, “ she was weaving all over the road.”
So, Sonny did what 4500 Georgians have done during the past three years. He Reported Her Driving.
What Happens if You Report State Employee's Bad Driving?

Holman says the reason was simple: “I got nieces and nephews who live around here.”
We've all seen those state vehicles with that yellow bumper sticker telling you, if you see something erratic, like this state driver or sloppy like this one, pick up the phone and call in.
Come on now. Does that work? Will the state do anything about it? Aren't you curious? Well, we were. So, we decided to find out what happens when you Report someone's driving.
We quickly found they not only take your call. They record it.
The FOX 5 I-Team reviewed 3 years’ worth of driving calls. We found 4518 taxpayers reported all kinds of dangerous driving, from speeding, to weaving, to texting while driving.
139 state workers were given severe penalties - written warnings or suspensions. And, believe it or not, 13 of them were fired.
The state’s director Fleet Management created the program several years ago and says it is like putting a supervisor in the car with a state employee.
Finnegan inherited a cumbersome program that forced a driver to log onto a computer to file a complaint.
He made it simple. Starting with a bumper sticker and an offsite boiler room to handle, record, and write up the complaints.
7% of which, by the way are actually complimenting drivers.
“We believe everyone,” says Finnegan, whether it is a bad call or a good one
Surprisingly, we found the state's Community Service Boards drivers are the biggest offenders. And they transport the elderly and disabled in large white vans.
Darrin Reda says the driver of a one of those vans almost hit him, twice.
"Changing lanes with no regard for blinkers, safety, people in his vehicle."
We caught up with Moody, "Those are just folks personal opinions of how my driving. You got a lot of road rage these days."
We tracked down that driver in Covington, getting ready to go to work.
Records show eight different people called and complained about Paul Moody's driving.
"I don't tailgate. (Dale-Why so many calls about you?) Road rage, I'm telling you."
In an email, Moody's bosses at ViewPoint Health, told us in 3 of the 8 calls about his driving, callers got information wrong or Mr. Moody wasn't at fault.
They said Moody has maintained a good driving record and hasn't had a complaint in six months.
So, taxpayers out there, keep your eye on the prize. Or, I should say, the bumper. It just takes a phone call, that's all the State needs.
Fleet manager Ed Finnegan admits the impact of the program has dwindled a bit over the years. So, the state is looking into other ways to track their drivers - including GPS in state cars.

[@elizabethmackay972]

I knew a dude whose boss hated him but couldn't fire him so he swapped their trucks and drove my friends' truck around like a maniac. Racked up 8 calls in a day. The state found out the trucks were swapped pretty quick because my friend wasn't even in the state the day this happened. His boss was the one who ultimately got fired lmao

[@missphoenix21]

Woooooooow. What a jerk the boss

[@inutslow8167]

THAT IS AMAZING

[@N0616JCProductions]

Karma

[@tobymcelhinney5354]

It's true I was the truck.

[@sloganeeringgaming6363]

The ending lol

[@Tony-my3sy]

they should have dash cams cause anybody can lie.

[@lifesabitch90]

Valley Retro Gaming I have one in all my vehicles. And on my bike

[@emanuelruiz7710]

@@lifesabitch90 you won't believe how many idiots I catch on my GoPro while on my motorcycle. It got to a point where I made it a drinking game with my buds.😁

[@lifesabitch90]

Emanuel Ruiz I just give the SD card to the sheriffs department.

[@emanuelruiz7710]

@@lifesabitch90 my bud works for the PD. Best believe I do 👍

[@enlistedaura2311]

I think they show clips of the recorded footage, like the van going over the line from a tire cam

[@tommynorthwood]

I called the non emergency number on a cop that sped through a stop sign with no lights or siren. They told me to mind my own business and hung up. That's Jacksonville FL for ya.

[@tommynorthwood]

@@SciloMendez No lights and no siren speeding through an intersection is GOING TO CAUSE an accident.. Breaking the law. Protocol says use sirens so kids walking through an intersection hear you coming.

[@tommynorthwood]

@@SciloMendez No, actually.. a lwa was clearly infracted bruh.. like, im a cop who was a lawyer who is now serving like on the Supreme Court or whatever. #GinsburgsTightAss So just chillax scro, I got this..

[@cljoe35]

Lady: “I wasn’t calling to get anyone fired.” State employee gets fired

[@rollercoaster55]

Nice surprise to see an I-Team report that found something working right rather than finding wrongdoing.

[@DarkZerol]

Can I report my ex-girlfriend bad driving?

[@nursejoy6698]

@@snowycatinseattle you're a stupid bitch

[@terrell4584]

Yea

[@Cjnw]

867 -5309 ¶:

[@Cjnw]

LG - *Shut Up, SJW !!!!!!!!*

[@MaltaMcMurchy]

Do not abuse please! Thank you, come again!

[@g1sokool669]

The police need to part of a program like this, they all think they are above the law.

[@samhouston1288]

No they don't, and it's idiotic to think they do. If you see an officer driving poorly, and they are not responding to an emergency, call the police department they work for and report them to whoever the superior officer is that day. They WILL get their ass chewed.

[@nojawas]

Maverick44, so you agree with the original post, dumbass.

[@DumbassPlumber]

I once saw a cop doing donuts in front of his supervisor.

[@samfosdick9874]

Funny I just typed the same thing!

[@csmith6237]

Maverick44 that's a lie, if you try to report a cop they'll send you to internal affairs and threaten you with being apart of a lengthy investigation regarding your claims

[@Richierich1285]

they need to employ this system with the cops

[@aprilfool1965]

Great program!!! Now, let's implement this level of attentiveness to complaints against police officers.

[@mr.robinson1982]

Never happen because Badges grant extra rights!!

[@MrJleeone]

Good luck with that.

[@cody1212143]

Just buy a dashcam and post the video on social media,their car of course has their plate and number.

[@davidmcbang2868]

So your driving on the freeway a officer passes you aggressively, your panties get entangled, little do you know they are trying to catch up to, or follow a felon who has a tendency of evading police and shooting civilians. If they activate there lights or sirens then guess what, the car could get way because they have been alerted before hand of the officers intentions. Do you want to restrict the police so they cant do there job, just because your upset that there tough job grants some extra privileges?

[@tovarischkarno4390]

@@davidmcbang2868 Not for driving, but more for abuse of power, in my opinion

[@stayfrosty6290]

"Well we were." *Zooms in on hand.*

[@jayit6851]

1:48 can't do without that zoom in on the hands

[@Astinsan]

It is a good program.. should never get rid of it.

[@Astinsan]

Brian The Explorer everyone has a digital camera these days.. all you need is a barcode type logo on the trucks

[@lifesabitch90]

I called about a state bus driver once. Ran 2 red lights, almost hit me once, and parked on sidewalk. I knew the responding officer. He was pissed at the driver. LOL

[@Saracinderallasushis]

They make it sound as if this works, until you really listen, then you realize, same government paper tigers. The last driver, 8 complaints and still working there, they want to give him an award in fact for having no complains in the last 6 months. Since he using someone else's bumper sticker.

[@sc0368]

I actually have "how's my driving call" sticker... I got the call one time. I told the lady on the phone I'll fired the driver. Actually it was me I'm the big boss.

[@sarahlu7797]

LOL 😂 😂

[@mharris5047]

Put a throwaway cell number on a cheap prepaid phone printed on one of those stickers, place it on the back of the car then leave a nasty, profane, crude message about having sex on it for them to hear when they call. Watch the hilarity ensue.🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@wheelie642]

Speeding, weaving, and texting, just like every driver on the road.

[@adamzaidi1748]

Now if only they were that serious when you call in on the police for driving erratic.

[@johnthelegalamerican508]

This program could be good but callers are giving their observation to what they see. Usually, emotions play a role in their calling. Without proof firing a person based on a caller is wrong. Even the warnings could be based on the emotions of the callers. GPS would be much better or even a dash cam.

[@RyanCunningham12]

I don't think there is much emotion about a state driver failing to use a turn signal at a stop sign.

[@pyrrhicvictory1707]

That is true but they said it takes a few calls not just one to get somebody fired and if somebody is getting multiple calls from multiple people they probably don't need to be driving

[@El_LeChErO91]

Maybe dash cams on the state vehicles?🤔

[@meme-lu2yu]

If you watched the same video as I did they did say they are looking into installing dash cams

[@mharris5047]

@@El_LeChErO91 A dash cam doesn't give the same view as a driver behind someone. They may be useful but they can't replace the dial-a-complaint phone numbers. Many trucking companies use both along with a GPS that can record actual vehicle speed relatively accurately. Drivers can't argue with a good quality GPS system.

[@bobcunningham9951]

I was the regional driving manager for a large company and the punishment for some was they had to be my driver for the day I was in their office ...

[@theonlybuster]

I remember taking these calls for my company a few years ago when I was an assistant. When it comes to making these calls, be calm and be respectful. Offer to leave your first and last name as well as a phone number so you can be reached if more information is needed. Callers who were seemingly angry, annoyed, or insulting often were not taken seriously. Neither were callers who refused to mention a name and call back number. These were frequently vindictive drivers or drivers having a bad day and looking to share it. Logs are kept for city workers, but not private companies.

[@samfosdick9874]

If only Georgia would do the same for bad cops!!!!

[@mharris5047]

With the police unions it is notoriously difficult to fire bad police officers in large cities. US civilians have another, three letter "p" word to describe bad police officers.

[@roachtoasties]

One problem with these bumper stickers is you never know if the caller is legitimate. I've seen those stickers on government vehicles and company vehicles. If you get a ticket from the police you do have the right to appear in traffic court to appeal it. If someone calls just because he hates whatever company or government the vehicle belongs to and says "such and such driver is driving drunk down the highway" it does need to be verified. Firing someone because of that not only isn't right, you can also be sued.

[@marknc9616]

A friend works for the state government in a different state. They have similar tags on their cars. He doesn't like driving them because people love to call in trivial offenses on a state employee. So he said he uses his own car and expenses the mileage.

[@emmers2698]

Mark NC people have their little cell phones in their cars itching to use them. They will even call in to say they are going too slow on the highway when they are going the speed limit.

[@whisperflame427]

How come the woman only got 3 complaints and got fired ... but the dude had 8 complaints and still got another chance.

[@amberlopez7477]

All state vehicles should have cameras installed. This way the driver can have recourse, if by chance some charges are false. I would think most of the calls are legitimate.

[@SexyMuramasa]

Why would someone call in for a good driver? Shouldn't that be an uneventful incident? Seems like their friends are calling it in for them.

[@pyrrhicvictory1707]

diablojd52 I would if I saw somebody go out of their way to avoid a collision with some other idiot and showed some true driving skills

[@Thinker669]

I only report reckless drivers.

[@mharris5047]

@@Thinker669 It would take a LOT to make me report a driver like this. In 76 years I have only called the police twice on someone driving in an egregiously dangerous manner. Once was for a driver repeatedly slamming on the brakes in front of me trying to make me rear-end them (why, IDK as we were driving a rusty old minivan -- usually these people do this to fancy and newer luxury cars that have a high probability of being insured to the max, my van was insured to the max but very few cars in that condition are, I was a distance from home so the chances of them knowing who owned the van are slim and none -- and Slim just skipped town on Amtrak), the other was drivers playing chicken on the road and just about crashing into me twice. I would use a similar standard for calling one of these numbers on a driver.

[@Gazdatronik]

1:24 _(cameo appearence)The original alternator off his Corolla_

[@chuckmanfre9629]

That's all the state needs..... Well nothing, how many complaints and how may bad drivers fired? 13 vs 4500 complaints. The last driver had 8 and he still works for the state. Add GPS and start letting bad drivers go.

[@linkzelda5833]

Then who replaces the bad driver? If they can't replace them then they have to keep them.

[@GlacialLake]

good to hear a news story that's showing the facts, not just trying to cause outrage

[@olstar18]

Well that was surprising. When I saw the vidoe name I thought this was going to be a case of reports being ignored. Glad to be surprised by the results.

[@thecaptain5300]

If I was a state driver, I would’ve definitely gotten a dash camera! Sometimes people would report you for no reason and sometimes they could well be right. Spend couple of bucks people and cover your behind.

[@peternorthrup6274]

Thank you.

[@nickcurrier1546]

I am conflicted on this, I cant stand bad driving and want it eliminated but even though I dont have one of those stickers I was pulled over before because someone called my vehicle in for obscenely negligent driving when I had done nothing of the sort. I had to take a breathalyzer and field sobriety test which I passed easily and to this day I have no idea how that happened or who could have possibly called that in

[@mharris5047]

If you are in the US most states do not require the field sobriety tests. Since even a sober person can't pass them I would politely decline and offer to take a PBT. If your eyes aren't dilated severely, you don't have pinpoint pupils, pass the PBT and aren't obviously high on drugs more than likely you will be let go on your way, possibly with a ticket if you actually did commit an infraction. The dilated or pinpoint pupils on eyes are a sure-fire sign of being high on drugs.

[@gearjammer4779]

I dont know about these bad drivers but being a trucker for nearly 40 years I always altered or removed a sticker or phone number from the rear of any vehicle I drove. Ya know why? Its because 99% of the people that call those numbers are lying. I wont work work for trucking companies that have phone numbers on the rear of their vehicles. All it does is stir up trouble for the truck driver. If you see a truck driver being unsafe and speeding get the equipment number and call the company but DO NOT LIE OR EXAGGERATE!

[@mattbreeze]

u drive normal and safe & some ass hole is honking flashing u then calling that ###. your 100% right.

[@bdavis8397]

If you are altering numbers to cover for your reckless driving you should be fired. You still have a tag number or didn't you think about that?

[@demekonrn]

99%? Exaggerate much; and watergate never happened either right lol.

[@AC-vt4iw]

B Davis if he is truly driving “reckless” To the point that causing life and property damage a perfect number to call is 911 , someone would call a company number faster than 911 because calling police officials for something that’s strongly emotionally based wouldn’t be justified

[@KeithsReviews]

@Richard Nixon I agree if it is a private company, maybe take a sharpie and change the phone number. But people who work for the State need to be held to a higher standard. We pay their salary, and that salary is usually pretty decent, so they need to be on their best behavior.

[@chriswharton9092]

The best Fox local channel in the USA. Love watching them. From Australia. Dale Russell is a top reporter. I also love the anchor team. A lot of rapport there.

[@Shock_Treatment]

That Mr. Moody guy made no sense. If he was driving well, which he wasn't, nobody would have road rage, unless they are one of those few who get mad at you for doing the speed limit.

[@Howard007]

I liked that in the Car-Interview mid way in this video

[@Saracinderallasushis]

Written warning, oh my god, that will teach them. 13 fired, out 4800 calls, that comes out of what? .0027 chance of getting fired for dangerous or careless driving.

[@xanadujohn79]

The insurance company loves this......

[@aceofspades1217]

People are also probably more likely to report a van because they may have passengers.

[@shadowwin7272]

So you have to take photo or call while driving (using the cellphone)...... unless you have a good memory (which I don’t have)

[@jimwerther]

Catch them at a red

[@dancarlton7973]

Last time I was in the Atlanta area many years ago I dealt with impatient drivers on I-85 and almost got hit by someone's Lexus. The driver shown in the video driving over the double yellow line, that is reckless driving.

[@jihnk1]

State employees get fired? Why not COPS when they PUT YOU IN PRISON ON LIES?

[@_multiverse_]

LoL I like that they blur out the vehicle identification number only a few times while they show others without blurring them.

[@mr.robinson1982]

Complaints like a jigsaw puzzle, one or two & you can't see the picture but 8 or more (from different people) & the picture is becoming clearer.

[@binatitagain]

Totally agree with this. When patterns emerge, it's kind of hard to say it's just a coincidence.

[@robertpepperwolfe7256]

1:29 montage of bumper stickers 5:23 censored bumper sticker............ why? (fyi, blurring stuff costs money)

[@oijosuke9879]

I’d like to report Philadelphian’s bad driving

[@LivingtheDRdream]

We need that system with the police on the way they treat our citizens

[@sarahlu7797]

There is... It's called Internal Affairs. 🤦🙄

[@LivingtheDRdream]

@@sarahlu7797 that is a joke

[@sarahlu7797]

@@LivingtheDRdream What's a joke? Your statement or I.A.???

[@commonsense3673]

In upstate New York they just cover the sticker

[@bobp1016]

So it does not always work, because nothing happened to the one guy driving the elderly.

[@Nic-xq1bt]

Why blur that last car but not the others??

[@rukiakuchiki6187]

Oh look! See some bad driving *calls the number*

[@dennismcclain1931]

I imagine each case needs to be evaluated separately to eliminate cranks calling in to be nasty and create a problem for an employee just because they can. This is not unheard of for some people with an axe to grind with their municipality and going after the easy targets.

[@proamateurs4469]

In Canada it’s illegal to use your cell phone while driving

[@tobeytransport2802]

How can they fire them without evidence? Or do they put cameras in the vehicle?

[@eleventwelve4578]

They call when driving? That sounds safe.

[@1989TS..]

Good reporting as always I team.

[@mesropmadzharyan6727]

I bet he got curious when somebody cut them off

[@alwaysthankful4843]

U didn't get her fired or dismissed, she got herself fired.

[@kercchan3307]

And the union wants to get rid of that call line......

[@dontreadmyprofilepicture5209]

I'm not all that of an expert but if they're a bad driver and you call the number doesn't that make you a bad driver for being on the phone?

[@Biffo1262]

They act in the UK too. A bin waggon driver (garbage truck) was texting on his phone as he approached a local school crossing patrol which my granddaughter was about to use and meet me on the other side. I reported it and two senior local authority staff came to my house to take a statement. I went to his disciplinary tribunal to give evidence and he was dismissed. It may seem harsh but the location and time of day were aggravating factors. I could have reported to the police and he would still have lost his job AND been prosecuted. As a retired fire officer who has attended far too many RTA's I have no sympathy whatsoever as his fate was in his own hands. Now whether they regarded me as a credible witness, well maybe, but I have the feeling they would have dealt with it the same way whatever as my former occupation only came up at the hearing.

[@timengland2475]

We need something like this for bad cops!!!!!!!!

[@kercchan3307]

the system would be crashed by complaints within minutes of going online.

[@jjuggernaut3218]

Dash cams. I run at least two in each of my vehicles. They are a cheap insurance. I run 2 Blackvue 2ch (front, rear, cabin, dash) and a cheap one for drivers side window.

[@watchkeeping]

A lot of people call in just because they hate government.

[@joshuamonterroso4092]

VEE-hickle

[@razztazz1982]

So how does this program separate justified calls from ones that are not? Are these state vehicles equipped with front & rear cameras that record 24/7? It seems like a good program but I could see how the phone in system may get abused.

[@theouterlimits7788]

Lol only if the police was this effective with their defective officers.

[@calex2892]

Pretty sure they were not fired just because of the complaints. I’m sure they had management following them to observed their driving also.

[@ExploringWithCam2018]

Ermmmm what about the driver who is using their phones to report them? isnt that illegal? im confused. I live in England laws are a little different here. Can anyone help me make sense of this please

[@deanguando1335]

How many calls are bogus?

[@grouchynunez1263]

They should have these on cop cars..

[@lovestexas903]

Very good video and they should do that in TEXAS

[@MON5TERMATT]

my left ear is bored Edit: the video is mixed to mostly the right channel. I dont think some people recognize sarcasm.

[@MON5TERMATT]

@TheOtherWhiteBread0 not really. The way they mixed this video, if you have isolated channels on your headphones, most of the audio goes to the right ear.

[@AsianJBlazian]

Ur earbuds or headphones need fixing

[@MON5TERMATT]

@@AsianJBlazian no they dont. They mixed the video wrong. Its tuned mostly to the right ear.

[@tt-ln4mc]

the audio is leaning to the right

[@MON5TERMATT]

@@tt-ln4mc thanks. Forgot the term lol

[@BlueKnifes]

My right ear loved this video

[@freemindthinkerezrapound5071]

Put dashcams in you will see a great improvement immediately

[@meaganwallwork5395]

Seems better to just call highway patrol.

[@peternorthrup6274]

Did paul get fired? NO.

[@nunyerbeeznaz2906]

I have found that the only thing that ever happens when I try to keep someone safe,is ridicule and laughter. Nowadays,I'm a mean old man that watches children splat,and laughs.

[@smileywarrior1870]

If that happened near my home I’d setup a roadblock or better have spikes setup.

[@garrybragg7244]

The cars Should have cameras too just because lots of people like to lie

[@zacknunley95]

A lot of people on here complaining about bad drivers are bad drivers 😂😂

[@sarahlu7797]

LMAO 😂 😂😂 😂

[@lonniesaint655]

High tech advance your HoTT

[@youtubeblows]

The field reporter looks like Doug Demuro.

[@ddstanfield9259]

Police should have this and have it treated serous Cops continuously speed, I had one almost rear end me when he was on the phone. Seems like police break all the laws they want to fine you for

[@Imsohappywithstray]

If only public servants like police officers would be held accountable for their driving. I guess when pigs fly.

[@lawrencegenereux8567]

You're obviously forgetting that they're better than you. They enforce the laws, not obey them.

[@MrMikeyx007]

I used to drive for a company that had the phone number on the back of the van well I was in a Dollar Tree type of store and I saw number stickers and I said I haha so I went to the van and change one of numbers and called the number and I said are you associated with this company and they said no one I said alright thank you so yeah they were calling the wrong number I just thought I'd throw that in there cuz I didn't like them watching me

[@wheelie642]

There’s two sides to every story.

[@johnbaldock6353]

Good. BTW I love the American South's Accent!!

[@lukey391]

john Baldock I can’t tell the difference I’m from Australia tho just all sounds the same

[@Absaalookemensch]

This is what should happen. This ought be the standard for all states and federal government employees.

[@Engineer9736]

3:22 In the USA they are not so careful about private details i see? 😀 Put it on a big screen and air it through the country and on KZbin.

[@mikepmena29]

They can implement dash cams like to do for the cops with body cams so they can see for themselves how they're driving see if they are shitty drivers or not

[@Sakaturo1]

this is hilarious, i think i know where Rosscreations got his idea

[@russs250]

Government doesn’t care about you,just shut up and pay your taxes.

[@akoww1000]

To bad Florida never does anything and they stop using it

[@brianberthold3118]

the answer is NOTHING

[@JenX_1973]

This also applies to semi trucks that are traveling through the state. I have tried to call the numbers on the backs of 18 wheelers, and either the numbers are not even in service, or if it is a working number, they tell me that they have nothing to do with the drivers, they only sell the trucks to the drivers, or the sell them to the company the driver works for. There is never any numbers for the driver's actual employer! It is frustrating!

[@stevek8829]

Jennifer, who do they get to call on you? I've never called on a bus or truck, why do you need to so often? I think you have a problem, and it's you.

[@mesropmadzharyan6727]

I wasn’t trying to fire well yes u were .

[@JamesBond-ko7cc]

They don't work

[@DaddyBLUE90S]

I've always wanted to put a fake number on my work vehicle. I drive fine but just to mess with complaining old ladies.

[@Jerry50x]

I did that to my first company vehicle that I purchased for my flooring company. And then I made the number that they call my number so I would put it on speaker phone and ask them if I could have the identification number which there was only one so I knew it was me and I would tell them, maybe you're driving like a jackass and they would get so mad

[@shazaidi]

It's highly likely that this "boiler room" is staffed with contractors, because if it was state employees it would never work.