No two ways about it, when you see road barricades set in place to protect you from high water it's good to remember THEY ARE FOR YOU.

Yes, for you and your own safety. And the safety of the passengers in your vehicle. They are not just for everyone else.

If the TV videos of drivers sinking into the current flooding rains of Los Angeles aren't enough to convince you that flood water in Texoma is dangerous, too, then maybe the proposed increase in fines will do the trick.

KXII.com posted the following online yesterday: 

"Ignoring high water barricades in Oklahoma could cost you ten times more if one lawmaker has anything to do with it.

The current fine for going around a high water barricade is $100, but State Representative Brian Renegar introduced new legislation this month that could up that fine to $1000, plus the cost of whatever it takes to rescue you."

Have you ever thought about the cost of daring high-water rescues?  Who pays for the equipment and the manpower involved? The public pays, sooner or later.

And how about the emergency personnel who risk their lives because somebody decided to take a chance and remove or drive around a barricade for some reason?  Those are our friends and neighbors with families, too. Why should they constantly put themselves at risk doing their jobs on the fire department or the first reponders team?  Aren't accidents enough to keep them busy?

Removing or driving around a road barricade is not an accident. It's a dumb decision we make on purpose, or not.

Let's take a moment to consider the cost before making a decision like that.

Let's think, "Hummm... driving around a barricade across train tracks is not a good idea, I wonder if this might be just as dangerous.... humm..."

I am often amazed at drivers choosing to pass a line of vehicles on the hilly roads around Lake Texoma. I hold my breath when following a semi and another driver is speeding around us, and a yellow "no passing" line. Sorry, it just seems stupid to me.

Removing a barricade indicating high water is right up there with passing on a yellow line, too.

Teenagers might need to read this post, or hear about it. They are pretty distracted by music and eating, texting and who knows what... 

Oh, I guess that describes all of us, doesn't it?

BE SAFE!  AVOID FINES!  Pay attention to road barricades around the lake.