One law-enforcing grandmother from Montana decided to take to the roads with her trusty hair dryer in an attempt to slow down speeding motorists.
The story of this vigilante gran has since gone viral across social media, and why wouldn’t it? It’s not often you get to write the phrase “vigilante gran” in context!
Motorists in Polson, Montana were taken by surprise when confronted with the elderly crusader.
The grandmother took to the side of the road by her house, and set herself up with a chair, a cool drink, and a simple hairdryer, all with the aim of stopping a few lawbreakers.
The grandmother’s name is Patti Baumgartner.
Ms Baumgartner explained that her decision to take to the streets was due to the fact that she had heard so many people complaining about speeding motorists.
“There are a lot of people that are complaining that they can’t walk or ride their bikes. I wouldn’t even attempt riding a bike around,” Ms Baumgartner told ABC .
Ms Baumgartner’s actions were quickly photographed and shared to social media.
One Twitter user shared the two photos of Ms Baumgartner with her crime-fighting hair-dryer in an attempt to give her the recognition she deserves for trying to do something for her community.
Twitter user Timmy B also tagged the local authorities to try and spread the word.
A Highway Patrol Trooper called Noah Pesola saw the tweet and was quite impressed with Ms Baumgartner’s community spirit.
Officer Pesola even went so far as to make her an Honorary Montana Trooper!
Once he had managed to track down Ms Baumgartner, the pair posed for a quick photo for social media as she was awarded her badge and hat for being an Honorary Montana Trooper.
Trooper Pesola said that Ms Baumgartner’s efforts to slow traffic were for her grand kids.
In an interview with KPAX , Pesola said, “I thought it was hilarious, I think that we have a speed issue in Montana and I thought it was a great creative idea for the public to try and combat that a little bit without making people too upset.”
Though it may not be an official title, Trooper Pesola thought Ms Baumgartner deserved some recognition.
Pesola went on to say, “I didn’t know what else to do for her, when she’s doing something for the community.”
“She says she’s got grandkids in the area, so she’s doing something for her grand kids benefit. The best thing I could think of was give her a trooper hat and a badge to make her look a little more official.”
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Montana actually has one of the highest rates of vehicle-related fatalities in the US according to reports.
Time magazine claims that, “In 2018, a report from the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute found that Montana had the third highest vehicular fatality rate of all states, at 21.7 deaths per 100,000 people.”
There’s no way to know if Ms Baumgartner’s hairdryer actually worked, but its the effort that counts!
Ms Baumgartner is proof that you don’t need thousands of dollars worth of technology like Batman to help out your community, you can do it with a hairdryer and a cold drink. If nothing else, it looks quite relaxing!
Ms Baumgartner also doesn’t seem to be planning on stopping any time soon!
Ms Baumgartner not only received praise from the local troopers, but she also received a lot of praise from other locals who are concerned about the speed of motorists on the roads.
Hopefully, sharing Ms Baumgartner’s actions will convince some motorists to slow down and reduce the risk to citizens such as her and her grandkids.
h/t: ABC