Cherokee Nation Reminds Public to Drive Safely
The Cherokee Nation Marshal Service would like to remind everyone to drive safely this Holiday season.
TAHLEQUAH, OK — Highway safety is a concern to everyone and with the winter season upon us taking the time to slow down and drive safely is more important than ever. With this in mind, Cherokee Nation Marshal Service (CNMS) is joining the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) to remind our citizens and neighbors to drive safely.
Drivers can avoid unnecessary accidents by implementing these four simple driving tips:
Keep your eyes on the road. Don’t multi-task in the car. Talking on the phone and using other electronic devices while driving takes too much attention away from driving and can cause an accident.
Don’t drink and drive, it’s a deadly mix. Even small amounts of alcohol can impair judgment and motor skills; this means that you may not even notice that you are too close to another vehicle. Alcohol affects the body’s ability to react in a timely manner.
Slow down. The difference between an accident that occurs at 70 miles per hour and an accident that occurs at 35 miles per hour can be the difference between life and death. Pay attention to speed limit signs; this is especially important on rural roads and hillsides. Slow down accordingly in bad weather.
Buckle up. Another correlation between an accident and a fatal accident is buckling up. Wear a seatbelt. It’s the responsible thing to do.
According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, during the last three months there have been more than 30 fatality accidents on highways in Cherokee and Adair Counties. A large majority have been single car accidents, indicating inattentive driving and speeding.
“The Marshal Service would like to re-emphasize the importance of driving defensively and paying attention to road conditions especially with the seasonal climates coming,” said Captain James Redcorn of Cherokee Nation Marshal Service. “We would like the holidays to be memorable in a positive way for Cherokee families and not a solemn time.”
CNMS works closely with all law enforcement agencies in northeastern Oklahoma, providing community policing and public safety since its inception in 1990. The Marshal Service holds cross-deputization agreements with 11 counties and more than 40 cities throughout the Cherokee Nation’s 14-county tribal jurisdiction service area, allowing for effective, efficient law enforcement regardless of the status of land where a crime is committed. With more than 30 highly-trained sworn officers and more than a dozen reserve officers, the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service provides an important community presence, particularly in many rural areas where there was previously little or no law enforcement.