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

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.

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.

"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.