Is graffiti worse than irate drivers?

On Oct. 20, I was driving North on Route 31 and made a right turned at Kimball Street in Elgin. As I was making my turn the train lights went on, so I stopped. The driver behind me began to honk his horn and wave his arms at me for stopping.

I pointed to the red lights and the gates coming down and he began to hit his steering wheel, and then he began to turn his car as though he was going to go around me. At that moment the train came by, so he stopped his car. During the wait he moved his arms around, hit his steering wheel and moved his mouth a lot.

Fortunately, I could not hear a word of what he was saying; but the whole time was a bit disconcerting being stuck between a train and an angry driver, so I took down his license number.

You see, in the Kane County Sheriff's Department they have a nonemergency number where you can report drivers like this and they will call the driver and keep a record. I was told by a police officer that if there are enough complaints about the driver they can do something about them.

So later when I got home I looked up the number online for the Elgin Police nonemergency number and called them.

The officer I spoke with was not happy about my call, wanted to know why I hadn't called when this all happened (I didn't have my cell phone available) and told me that they don't have a program like the Kane County Sheriff 's Department. So I told him that I guess we just have to learn to deal with these angry drivers alone.

What I don't get though is this: There is a nonemergency number to report graffiti but not one to report hostile drivers. Why? Is graffiti more dangerous?

Marcia Gutiérrez

Elgin