A Facebook page for Road Warrior screw-ups

In his column on the Local front today, Road Warrior John Cichowski doesn't mention that all drivers with two passengers can pay a carpool toll of only $4.25 every time they use a Hudson River crossing -- day or night on any day of the week -- as long as they register their E-ZPass ahead of time.

Editor's note: A concerned reader, who has sent numerous e-mails to The Record in an appeal for greater accuracy in Road Warrior columns, now has established a Facebook page to expose all of the errors and misinformation the editors continue to publish under the byline of  Staff Writer John Cichowski. The reader, who prefers to remain anonymous, sent Eye on The Record the Facebook address as well as his latest e-mail to management.

I have established a Facebook page -- titled "Road Warrior Bloopers at The Record" -- with the Web address noted below.  
 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Road-Warrior-Bloopers-at-The-Record/110506372452496?ref=hl

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The Record's management and Road Warrior, John Cichowski, need to take responsibility to address past mistakes and prevent new mistakes in 2013 based on my identification of the final tally of ALL problems from 9/12 to  12/31, where 171 mistakes or problems (more than 6 per column on average) were identified in 60% (27 of the 45) of his transportation columns.

I know The Record has been performing internal reviews to address matters. 


Unfortunately, the Road Warrior reporting problems, mistakes, gaffes, and faulty, unsafe, or legally conflicting advice and conclusions appeared to continue unabated in 2012.  All of these faults clearly question the reliability of Road Warrior columns and cause further confusion.


These faults were exacerbated further through reliance on readers' unsubstantiated questions and claims without any counterpoints or corrections by the Road Warrior.


A NO BRAINER TEST should be used and if a reader's unsubstantiated claim or example can be disputed by common sense/facts, it should normally NOT be published.


However, if a reader's claim or example, which CONTRADICTS current regulations, laws, facts, or common sense, happens to be published, the Road Warrior must point out those conflicts so others are NOT confused.
 
I started to bring all of these faults to the regular attention of both The Record's management and the Road Warrior, along with many clear suggestions on what needs to be STOPPED or improved.


Similar mistakes should also NOT be repeated in follow-up columns when I previously point out the mistakes and corrections in a previous column.


No one, including the Road Warrior, should be presumptuous and refer to themselves as a "Know-it-all" since everyone, including the Road Warrior, can learn something they do not know from others. 


Since the Road Warrior column is supposed to be responsible to its readers as a regular educational forum about transportation issues, it would be more valuable to readers that any significant corrections are made As Soon As Possible in a Road Warrior column rather than The Record's A-2 corrections.

A highlight of the number of mistakes and problems from 9/12 to 12/31/12 are noted below:


1)  Misleading and/or False Statements, which also included false "facts" or incorrect items - 96 times

2) Useless, Impractical, Unsafe, or Misleading Advice - 18 times

3) Misdirected Readers Due to Key Omissions of Relevant Information that were Paramount to a Topic - 30 times

4) Doesn't Address Reader Question Directly or Correctly - 15 times

5) Useless, Misleading Stories Wasted Readers' Time - 12 times

These particular items should NEVER have been published. 

Road Warrior exhibited empathy about people that exhibited no common sense to easily solve or accept responsibility for problems they caused and/or exacerbated problems by making wrong decisions about their unsubstantiated claims.

An earlier e-mail from the same reader discussed problems in the Dec. 31 Road Warrior column. What is clear from this e-mail and others is The Record's total lack of  editing or fact-checking on the local assignment and copy desks under the supervision of Editors Deirdre Sykes, Dan Sforza and Liz Houlton -- Eye on The Record

I thought the Road Warrior would learn his lessons by year's end for NOT presenting misleading or false statements or facts, but he clearly did NOT in his Dec. 31 column.

Here's what you should know about the Road Warrior's column on ttraveling and tailgating in the left lane and his failure to keep it right:

1)  Misleading false statement - "Nobody likes a left-lane hog, who encourages others to pass him illegally on the right."

CORRECT FACTS - While it is required to normally pass a vehicle on the left, it is NOT illegal to pass a vehicle on the right as per NJSA 39:4-85 if it is done "under conditions permitting such movement in safety".

2)  Misleading false statement - "Failing to do so [violation of tailgating law] risks 5 points and $200 fine - even more in a construction zone."

CORRECT FACTS - Violation of tailgating law risks 5 points and an $85 fine -- even more on roads with 65 MPH speed zones.  Reporting was about tailgating in a 65 MPH zone.

3)  Misleading false statement - "one-day session [for NJ defensive driving course by the Garden State Safety Council] should remove 2 points from her license and grant her a 10-percent auto-insurance discount."

CORRECT FACTS - That driving course should remove 2 points from her license and grant her at least a 5% discount and UP TO a 10-percent auto insurance discount (subject to the NJ insurer), as noted on Garden State Safety Council's Web site.

4)  Questionable Road Warrior tactics - Road Warrior continues bad habit of repeating details of questionable reader tactics, including how drivers handle tailgaters.

CORRECT TACTICS - There is NO need for the Road Warrior to continue repeating questionable reader tactics, particularly if they are reckless UNSAFE driving behavior, which can lead to a traffic fine, such as spraying windshield wiper fluid at a tailgater.

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Perhaps, this will then be the last of an endless series or a very, very long holiday from Road Warrior columns and questionable or unsafe readers' advice about these topics if common sense, as quoted by a cop, is remembered:
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1) "Anyone in the left lane [or middle lane] should immediately yield to an overtaking vehicle as soon as practical."

2) When "there are way too many cars and not enough space... out of necessity, the left lane [and middle lane] must be used and rules go out the window."