The “Stupid Motorist Law”, which corresponds to section 28-910 of the Arizona Revised Statutes, states that any motorist who becomes stranded after intentionally driving into a clearly marked flooded roadway may be charged for the cost of his/her rescue.
Joseph Razon, 52, was driving a bus for CH Destination Inc. with 33 tourists back to Las Vegas after a trip to the Grand Canyon Skywalk when severe flooding near Kingman, Arizona caused an 8 foot deep and 100 foot wide wash to flood along the Pierce Ferry Road. The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office has said that Mr. Razon may be charged under the “Stupid Motorist Law”.
Mr. Razon saw another car cross safely before his attempt, but a company spokesperson said “it was like he got T-boned by a flash flood” when he attempted to cross. He was able to get his passengers to safety by angling the bus in such a way that it came to a complete stop and help the passengers to dry land, however CH Destination Inc. is blaming local authorities for their failure to post proper warnings on the stretch of road.
According to the US Department of Transportation CH Destination Inc. travels over 230,000 miles a year using roughly 38 drivers with more than 20 buses. However they earned a low score for driver safety after 48 inspections in the last two years. That puts them in the bottom 12% for their driver safety record when compared to the 4,000 interstate bus lines. Mr. Razon has been cited in the past for speeding while driving the tour bus, but no other citations were mentioned in the story.
Driving safety course 101 advises drivers to never drive through water of unknown depth for the exact reasons that occurred in this situation. The next time you are in a situation where you aren’t sure about the depth of a flooded roadway, think about this situation and Mr. Razon. Do not cross, even if the person in front of you makes it. It isn’t worth the risk.
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Read the full USA today story here.
Learn more about Arizona’s “Stupid Motorist Law”
