Sheriff reminds drivers that red means stop
Red means stop. That’s the simple but direct warning traffic signals display. It’s also the warning Fannin County Sheriff Dane Kirby stressed last week when he said his office is going to take a proactive approach in dealing with drivers who disobey traffic signals.
Kirby said instances of drivers running red lights are becoming more and more common, especially along Highway 515.
One such incident, and one that exemplified the problem, happened at the Lakewood intersection of Highway 515 and State Route 60 recently. Both drivers involved in a t-bone crash ran their respective red lights, injuring one and resulting in traffic citations for both.
Kirby said one driver was turning left off Highway 515 to head toward McCaysville on State Route 60 and ran his red light. The other was approaching the intersection on Highway 515 from the opposite direction and ran his red light.
Kirby said drivers are becoming more impatient at intersections and even if the light is red, “they’re going to go.” This puts the driver running a red light in jeopardy as well as other drivers trying to get through an intersection legally.
As a result, Kirby said he has, “instructed our people to deal with blatant violators.” This not only includes road deputies, but also investigators, court services and administrative staffs.”
Running red lights has “gotten out of hand. It has to be stopped for the safety of everyone,” Kirby said.