Driving On Closed Highway Carries Additional Sanctions


Article Body

 
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, Dec. 6, 2010
Contact: Terry Woster,Public Information Officer, 605.773.3178
            
    Driving On Closed Highway Carries Additional Sanctions
 
PIERRE, S.D. – With the winter travel season near, South Dakota Departments of Public Safety and Transportation are reminding motorists of a new law increasing the penalty for driving on a closed stretch of interstate highway.
 
A law passed by the 2010 Legislature makes it clear that anyone driving on a closed portion of highway is violating state statutes and could be subject to a $1,000 civil penalty. The motorist could also be required to pay the cost of a rescue, up to $10,000. Those sanctions are in addition to possible criminal penalties of up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine.
 
Legislators enacted the additional sanctions for safety reasons, not to catch and fine motorists, says Major Randy Hartley, acting superintendent of the South Dakota Highway Patrol.
 
“It would be great if every motorist heeded road-closing signs and we never needed the new law,’’ Hartley said. “Some people don’t do that. Their actions put a lot of folks at risk. The motorist out on a closed highway is at risk. So are troopers and snowplow drivers and other rescue personnel who venture out in life-threatening conditions to find a stranded traveler.’’
 
During winter storms, a closed section of interstate generally means the road surfaces are slippery or snow-packed, and blowing and drifting snow is limiting visibility and making travel all but impossible, says Department of Transportation Secretary Darin Bergquist. Under such conditions, the Department of Transportation must pull its plows and drivers from the highways until conditions improve.
 
As soon as conditions improve, the DOT crews begin clearing roads, Bergquist said. Stalled and stranded vehicles on the roadway make that job more difficult.
 
“A stalled car or jack-knifed truck in the road means the snowplow must stop and wait until a wrecker comes to move the vehicle,’’ Bergquist said. “The more often that happens, the longer it takes to clear the highway. We’re committed to restoring normal traffic flow as quickly as we can after a storm. It would be so much easier to do that if people would simply heed the road-closed signs.’’
When a section of interstate must be closed in South Dakota, public notice of the closure is widely announced through the news media, including radio, television and newspaper websites, as well as at many truck stops. The closing notice is posted to www.safetravelusa.com and as a message when dialing into the 511 system.
 
“The best way to avoid being subjected to the sanctions in the new law is to check weather and road conditions on one or more of those sources before beginning any trip,’’ Major Hartley said.
                                          -30-