Recourse Against Ditch Jumpers!

[Thundarstick]

We have owned a property for going into the 5th year. It is partly bisected by a state highway in a long sweeping curve. The issue is I'm getting sick of filling in ruts, replacing trees, having my garden driven through by people who can't keep it on the road! In fairness the state DOT did come and place more, and better signage, and chevron curve signs at my request last year, and someone plowed through one of those 4 days after it was put up! I arrived home yesterday to a prime three year old plumb tree destroyed, a rutted out yard, and just a mess! This same scenario happens about 3 or 4 times a year!

Had anyone else dealt successfully with something like this? I've been told I'm open to law suit if I put up hardened barriers, what to do? I'm about ready to dig a moat!

[Skunk1]

Not sure about a lawsuit. Sounds like a good place for concreted railroad ties, steel posts or telephone poles.

[NyFirefighter357]

Any damage incurred is the responsibility of the driver and/or car insurance company. Catching them is the problem, camera's are an option. Barriers shouldn't be an issue except for there looks. Will the D.O.T. install a guardrail? Here the D.O.T. will charge you for repairing any damage you cause in an accident, guardrail, signs or traffic barriers. Utility company charges for any poles that need to be replaced too.

[Beerd]

Alcohol could be a contributing factor.
Good luck.
..

[cat-mechanic]

I would look to add Jersey Barriers or K rail behind what the state has up. That way if anyone sues for you using hardened barriers, they are what is normally used in freeway construction anyway.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_barrier

[country gent]

Anything you put will have to be "break away" Like the new regulations on mail box posts. Maybe the route to go would be right of way ( you can interfere with the roads right of way) + 40-50 feet wide stretch of along worked up and softened like the run offs along grades and at ends of runways. Have a farmer sub soil down 18-24" plow disc and finish. lightly plant grass. this will produce way more drag and slow stop vehicles much faster. May also catch them to be billed for damages.

[Moleman-]

Drop some big bumper high or bigger rocks across the area they're cutting through. RR ties or telephone pole sections with a cable run through it. Stay out of the easement for the road though. Neighbor had the same thing happening and sunk waist high telephone pole sections around the corner. Couple weeks later they found out that it had been his wife's exboyfriend when he wrapped his truck around one of the poles which was well inside their yard.

[Bloodman14]

My apologies for the hijack, but what's a good solution/deterrent against mailbox bashers? I have had to replace 3 so far, and finally welded a steel guard (1 inch square tube welded to a 5 x 5 inch 1/4" steel plate, power nailed to a concrete-filled steel fencepost) in front of the 'passengers' side of the post.

[JBinMN]

Sand or gravel mounds as barriers would be my first suggestion for "soft" barriers. Much like the piles of sand/gravel they use on "runaway" truck ramps in the mountains. The vehicles hit the sand/gravel & it slows them down.

Otherwise, and I hate to say it, but sue the State DOT to put in rails along that curve by your property. The primary cause of the damage is the road the way it is with the curves, speed & no barrier, the secondary cause is the drivers & their vehicles.

I could go into it more, but it is the state that owns the road that is the one who needs to address the issue that causes the troubles, more than it is your responsibility to address how to reduce the cause of the damage yourself at "your cost" for "their" negligence to make an effort to make safe driving conditions.

If it were a bridge with too low side rails & a big drop & they kept getting sued by the folks who were injured or died, I'd bet they would do something. In your case it needs to be you to make enough noise about it...
Sometimes being the "squeaky wheel" for an approach is the best one... "The squeaky wheel gets the grease" usually gets enough attention, and then the person who needs to do the lubing to make things stop squeaking(The "State", in your case) gets to work to stop hearing the squeaks & fixes the issues..


G'Luck!

[jsizemore]

My apologies for the hijack, but what's a good solution/deterrent against mailbox bashers? I have had to replace 3 so far, and finally welded a steel guard (1 inch square tube welded to a 5 x 5 inch 1/4" steel plate, power nailed to a concrete-filled steel fencepost) in front of the 'passengers' side of the post.

A non yielding obstacle in the right of way can get you sued and lose everything you got. It's also called premeditation.

[NyFirefighter357]

My apologies for the hijack, but what's a good solution/deterrent against mailbox bashers? I have had to replace 3 so far, and finally welded a steel guard (1 inch square tube welded to a 5 x 5 inch 1/4" steel plate, power nailed to a concrete-filled steel fencepost) in front of the 'passengers' side of the post.

That doesn't happen here any more been 30 years since I've seen a mailbox bashed in from a bat. Guy along the reservoir (dirt road not well traveled) was a prime target. He welded up a piece of well casing to a steel post and 240lb of concrete, found several broken bats but that stopped fast. lol

https://youtu.be/qoA5zrW1WNQ

A company used to make steel welded vandalism proof mailboxes.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-4-Steel-W...-/322296631975

This company makes a barrier to install next to your mailbox to protect it.

https://postalwedge.com/

https://youtu.be/9xSEufJTYwI

[WILCO]

Sell off the property or accept the situation. Only two options that will work.

[BigAlofPa.]

Put some R/R spikes on the ground around there where you know where they are. Enough careless drivers get flats that can't be plugged. They will spread the word. To be careful going around your curve.

[NWPilgrim]

You can’t put up obvious obstructions that can lead to fatal crash on sure you would not want anyone killed over vandalism. Make sure whatever you put in is in your property in not the undeveloped road right of way.

I would put in a gardening area with various “features.” Sand trap like in a golf course, small boulders just below bumper height, many corporate campuses around here encircle their grounds with a 10 ft high earth berm covered in lawn and shrubs. Or put in a pond/marsh right where the tracks occur. Then make arrangements with a tow truck company at the far side of the county to tow away any stuck vehicles and have them post one of their tow-away zone signs.

The idea is to use simple, cheap landscape features to trap and disable the errant vehicles and then have them towed 50 miles away for a $200 recovery fee the owner pays to get his car back.

[Mytmousemalibu]

Guy here in Wichita that lives directly on a Tee intersection of a one way street. He delt with numerous times of drunks or inattentive people blowing through the intersection, through his lawn and into his livingroom. He eventually built a brick wall in the yard surrounded with shrubs to mask the eyesore. He hasn't had to renovate his livingroom in a long time only because of the wall.

[reddog81]

Above ground garden made of 6”x6” landscaping timbers.
A couple good sized rocks or small boulders.
Large flower pots half filled with concrete.
Good luck finding something that works.

[Cast_outlaw]

Pea gravel or drain rock 12” to 16” deep will stop and strand most vehicles in it giving you opportunity to identify the individuals doing this with little rest of harm to the persons involved be costly but would work as round gravel dose not pack

[bmortell]

my driveway has a T shape to it so people can back in to switch directions, pullout instead of back out, but people always went in the grass so we put 100 pound rocks every 5 feet on the edge and people got better at driving.

[MaryB]

Drive some deep fence posts(smaller to break off as needed) and string chain link fence between them. It will wrap in the suspension and shred it

[lead-1]

An old school teacher here had trouble with kids driving thru his yard all the time so he made homemade rocks in about two foot around balls with sakrete and planted railroad spikes point out in them. The problem stopped with the first car that tried them out but the county sheriff told him to get rid of them or he could be arrested and sued if they were hit by accident and hurt got someone.