Disobeying Flood Signs Can Hit Drivers in the Pocketbook

(Salem) - Marion County roads are flooded and deputies say some drivers aren't following the rules. Instead, the drivers are getting something else; traffic citations. Traffic team deputies in Marion County and throughout Oregon hope people pay attention to signs warning them not to proceed because of high water. Signs are posted clearly, but deputies Jack Nicoloff of the Marion County Traffic Enforcement Team say some still drivers aren't getting the message, and the price they pay could be their life. "People drive through the high water, their vehicle becomes buoyant. They're swept off of the roadway and before they know it, they can't get out of their vehicle." He says the pressure that moving water places on a car or a person is overpowering. Sometimes flooded areas suddenly surge with more water, taking a person by surprise. Deputy Shane Burnham is also a deputy with the Marion County Traffic Enforcement Team. He says the notion of people taking unnecessary chances troubles him. "Obviously we're not going to be able to stay out here all night, and as darkness falls they aren't going to be able to see the water. I'm kind of worried about that." The 1996 floods in Salem claimed four lives. Burnham says traffic safety teams are doing everything in their power to avoid the chance of that happening again, "People who are driving around the barricades are getting a citation for that." Nicoloff says that when he writes a traffic ticket, it sends a message, and prevents him from having to perform a much harder job. "Nobody wants to have to make a death notification to a family. If it takes 30 extra minutes to drive the long route, it's going to save us having to tell your family that you died in a traffic accident because you went through a high water sign. The roads are clearly closed."