Saratoga News

Drivers should heed police directions in emergencies

It helps to learn alternate route

By Michelle Alaimo

Picture this: You're driving home from work and happen upon an accident blocking your route. Do you find an alternate way home, or do you ignore police cones and police directions and try to take the route, anyway? Saratoga deputies at the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department Westside Substation say that, unfortunately, many drivers take the second alternative and ignore police directions, which is not only a bad practice but also a misdemeanor.

"It's important for drivers to know an alternate route to go home," Deputy Doug Havig said.

The fire in the Los Gatos hills and the resulting traffic and road closures in Saratoga brought home the fact that residents need to be ready to take a different route home if necessary. But Deputy Steven Grisenti said some drivers who have lived here 20 years don't know an alternate route home.

"It was a classic case," Grisenti said of some Los Gatos residents trying to enter streets blocked because of the fire. In the past, he added, a few drivers have actually argued with him that they must go home on a blocked road and driven over police cones to turn down a closed street. Police said motorists who ignore the deputies can create a dangerous situation for medical personnel and even destroy possible evidence.

"Other emergency personnel are counting on me to keep motorists from driving through the accident scene," Grisenti said, adding that it creates a dangerous situation because a driver never knows if an accident victim is going to walk out between cars, or, in the case of the fire, if the situation might become serious.

Grisenti also pointed out that it is against the law to ignore deputies' instructions. And, he said, deputies will not hesitate to stop what they are doing and ask a car to pull over until they are able to give the driver a ticket.

But this takes time, which an officer often does not have when directing traffic or taking an accident report.

The more people who ignore deputies' directions, the longer it takes to get the accident scene cleared, Grisenti said. He recommended that Saratoga drivers be prepared for emergency situations by learning at least one alternate route home.

"It's an inconvenience, but there is nothing you can do," Havig said.

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