Stupid drivers continue to put lives in danger
Despite warnings, motorists still enter flooded areas
by Brian DiTullio

DESERT FOOTHILLS – “How many times are we going to have to tell these people?”

That question was posed by Rural/Metro Battalion Chief John Kraetz after the destructive

monsoon passed through the Northeast Valley on July 31. Kraetz said rescue crews were pulling five people out of flooded washes at the same time in the Desert Foothills area.

Kraetz related to The Desert Advocate that he’s always being told “I have stuff to do” as a motorist’s reason for attempting to cross a flooded wash, but the dumbest excuse he’s heard was from a woman who said she needed to get her daughter to a piano lesson.

“If there’s a storm, my advice is to just sit and wait an hour,” advises the battalion chief.

He also noted that the sight of a rescue in progress doesn’t necessarily deter people from trying to drive through a flooded roadway.

“It’s very frustrating to me to watch a rescue crew doing their job and then turn around and see someone trying to drive through the same flooded‑out area.”

While any low‑lying roadway is at risk during a major storm, Kraetz pointed out that Galloway Wash causes the most problems for Carefree/Cave Creek because it cuts across the north/south arterials in the area.

“It just puts them under,” he said. “But people still try and push their way through.”

While print, television and Internet media bombard residents with warnings about driving through flooded washes or streets, Kraetz says he’s astonished at all the people he still sees doing it–and then needing to be rescued, endangering other lives as well.

“Remember, it isn’t just your own life that’s being jeopardized,” said Kraetz. “You’re putting the rescuer’s life at risk, too.”

If personal safety isn’t incentive enough to stay clear of flooded roads, Arizona has a “Stupid Motorist Law” to penalize drivers who ignore the situation in front of them.

According to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, driving through a flooded‑out area where warning signs are posted could result in the misdemeanor charge of Failure to Obey a Traffic Control Device and a fine of $115.

In the case of a motorist requiring rescue, MCSO stated the driver can be held liable for the incident and charged with Liability for Emergency Responses in Flood Areas, a citation which could bring a fine of up to $2,000.

The Stupid Motorist Law also applies to any driver who moves a barricade to enter a flooded stretch of roadway.

Emergency response officials say any driver who knowingly drives into flood waters with a youngster under the age of 15 in the vehicle could be charged with child endangerment.

In addition, a vehicle insurance policy may exclude coverage of a person’s liability for the expenses of an emergency response.