Yes, I Do Chase After Cars I See Speeding In My Neighborhood

I take the dog for a walk almost every day around my neighborhood. Its 10 minutes or more of everyone being outside, stretching our legs, and getting some fresh air. As a result, I know my neighborhood and my walking path pretty well and I can tell pretty quickly if something isn't right.

A yellow, 4 door Chevy running a stop sign and speeding down a residential street isn't right.

A yellow, 4 door Chevy running a stop sign, speeding down a residential street, and not slowing down despite the woman on the side of the road waving her arms and screaming for you to slow down isn't right.

A yellow, 4 door Chevy running a stop sign, speeding down a residential street, not slowing down despite the woman on the side of the road waving her arms and screaming for you to slow down, and driving on the left side of the road to get as far away as possible from the waving and screaming woman isn't right.

Did I mention I had Daulton with me? He was safely on the sidewalk on his bike and even he noticed how fast the car was going.

I attempted to talk to the driver of the yellow, 4 door Chevy but she wouldn't come to the door. So, I waited for the adults who live there to come home. The conversation didn't go as well as I would have liked but I can live with that. (This is not the first time I've made someone mad, and it won't be the last.) I wanted to communicate to my neighbor that the driver of this car was speeding, not obeying stop signs, and is a danger to all of the children who play outside in our neighborhood. She didn't like what I had to say but I could tell my words struck a nerve because instead of defending the driver, which later turned out to be her daughter, she chose to attack me instead. Why go on the extreme offensive if your child did nothing wrong?

My neighbor did ask me "if I chase down every car that I see speeding through the neighborhood?". And my answer is and will always be, "yes, I do chase down those cars that I can catch" because it is my responsibility as a neighbor and a parent to keep my neighborhood safe. So if that means chasing down cars, knocking on doors, and having conversations with my neighbors is what I have to do, then I will do it. I would expect my neighbors to do the same for me and my family.

The irony of the situation is that after our conversation, 3 of her 4 children were at my house hanging out and playing with Daulton.  A fact I am pretty sure she was unaware of.

I wasn't sure how this situation was going to turn out but considering the fact that my neighbor made a point to drive by me tonight, while on my walk, and do a textbook perfect stop at the stop sign, I think it is going to turn out alright. I doubt she ever asks me for a cup of sugar, but she heard my message and has responded to it exactly how I had hoped she would.

What would you have done? Said nothing and let the reckless driving continue? Or say something to the neighbor?  How would you react if someone came to your door to discuss how your child was driving?