Residents Urged to Exercise Patience On Roads

It’s that time of year again, when local residents are asked to exercise patience as huge numbers of visitors explore our region.
Deputy Lance Mathess with the Sheriff’s Office says because tourists are often seeing the grandeur of our county for the first time, their driving behaviors can be erratic. He says that the sheriff’s department asks residents to be patient and extra cautious this time of year. But although deputies have to be more vigilant on patrol, he says they generally enjoy being ambassadors for the county.

Besides being especially vigilant, Mathess says there are certain additional steps local drivers can do to increase their safety on the roadways, such as driving with increased awareness when traveling in known tourist areas or around vehicles with out-of-state license plates, because tourists are liable to stop, slow, or swerve at any time. Drivers should also be particularly alert when driving in wildlife areas due to the unpredictable nature of the animals. Increase the following distance between you and other cars; and avoid distracted driving, such as driving while talking on your cell phone, text messaging or chatting with passengers.