Gibson County Sheriff advises residents to stay off roads
GIBSON COUNTY, Tenn. — Drivers may think it’s safe to hit the road, but first responders say you could be putting yourself and others at risk.
On Tuesday, most main roads appear to be clear, but Gibson County Sheriff Paul Thomas says that still doesn’t mean it’s safe to drive.
“The side roads haven’t let up any. They’re still just as covered as they were on day one. Deputies and local agencies, we’ve been busy just non-stop pushing people out of the ditches,” Sheriff Thomas said.
Sheriff Thomas says if you make the decision to drive, you’re not only risking your safety, but you’re risking the safety of those first responders that will have to come and get you if anything happens.
“You run the risk of putting everybody else at exposure. Not to mention, if you run off the road and hit something, you could hurt yourself or hurt your family and you risk damaging your vehicle,” Sheriff Thomas said.
He says even if you call for help, it maybe be a while before someone can get to you.
“All the wreckers are just slammed helping people, and you may be sitting for a while in a median waiting on help to come get you if we can’t push you out or other first responders can’t push you out,” Sheriff Thomas said.
“Don’t forget that four-wheel drive don’t mean four-wheel stop. You still got to get stopped on the snow and ice, so it just kind of helps you go, it don’t help you stop,” Sheriff Thomas said.
Sheriff Thomas says to prepare for Wednesday, when the ground is expected to turn to ice.
“Driving on the powdered snow isn’t that hard to do. It’s a lot easier than ice, but we just got to remember that right under all that snow is going to be ice,” Sheriff Thomas said.
He says if you do attempt to drive on the ice, you should prepare to not to be able to stop.
Sheriff Thomas says if you absolutely have to get out make sure you have a blanket, flash light and phone charger in your car.
