Montana grandmother uses hairdryer on side of road to deter speeders in her neighborhood

Sunday, September 15, 2019
POLSON, Mont. -- Patti Baumgartner wanted cars in her neighborhood to slow down, so she staked out on the side of the road with a hairdryer that looked like a radar gun to deter speeders.

"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," Baumgartner told KPAX about the situation in her neighborhood.
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Baumgartner's son took a photo of her on the side of the road and tweeted it out to Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Noah Pesola in an attempt to catch his attention -- and it did.



"I thought it was hilarious," Pesola told KPAX. "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."

Pesola liked the stunt so much that he gave Baumgartner a special title, making her an honorary trooper.
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"She's doing something for the community and, as she says, she's got grandkids in the area," he added. "So she's doing something for her grandkids' benefit. The best thing I could think of was to give her a trooper hat and a badge to make her look a little more official."



Baumgartner said she can't tell if her hairdryer really slowed cars down, but she plans on using it again to slow down speeders in her community.
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