Penalties for driving on closed roads
Some Mid-Missouri drivers are ignoring road closure traffic signs.
The Boone County Fire Protection District responded to two water rescues early Tuesday morning. One vehicle stalled out along Highway 40 and another along Route E.
ABC 17 crews noticed several drivers moving road barriers out of their way and continuing to drive down the flooded roadway on Route E.
“People go around the barricades all the time and drive into those flooded areas and it’s frustrating that people are disregarding what they’re being told to do,” said Gale Blomenkamp, Boone County Fire Protection District Battalion Chief.
Blomenkamp said driving through flooded roadways is dangerous for everyone.
“They’re putting themselves at risk because they’re entering a dangerous situation that they don’t need to enter,” he said. “They’re putting firefighters at risk because we’re responding to an active emergency situation that doesn’t need to occur.”
Whether a road is shut down for flooding or construction, it is illegal to drive on a closed road. Officers can issue citations for failing to obey a traffic device with a $97 fine.
“Those barricades are serious,” said Brian Leer, Traffic Unit Sergeant at the Boone County Sheriff’s Department. “Road Closed means Road Closed. It doesn’t mean move the barricade and drive around.”
