Stay Aware: Tulsa Police Say Impatient Drivers Causing Wrecks Across City

Tulsa Police said drivers are causing wrecks all over town by being impatient, and blowing through intersections where traffic lights aren't working.

More than 250 stop lights weren't working at the peak of this week. Police said some people aren't paying attention at all, or don't know how a four way stop works.

Tulsa Police is still on Operation Slick Streets, which means they are only responding to crashes where someone is injured.

They understand that traffic is frustrating, but they can't be at every intersection that doesn't have working lights, so it falls on drivers to be responsible.

Police said many traffic lights are still out, so when drivers see no lights or flashing red lights, treat that as a four-way stop.

"If you stop at the same time somebody else does, you treat it like you normally would. The person to your right has the right of way,” said Traffic Officer Caleb Howell with Tulsa Police.

Officer Howell said he has seen several drivers over the last few days ignoring the basic rules of four way stops.

He understands people are in a rush, but if there’s a crash, it slows down traffic even more.

"We have some people that are treating the lights that are not on at all as a green light, and they are just running right through them. I worked a crash yesterday where that happened,” said Howell.

"We've seen in this intersection alone, just from the little bit of time I've been sitting here, a couple of near misses. Again just because people aren't patient. There will be two or three at a time go," he said.

Police said people are getting into wrecks and calling police claiming there are injuries, but when police get there, no one is actually hurt.

They said if you are in a crash and nobody is hurt, exchange information with the other driver, and you can fill out a police report online or pick one up at QuikTrip.

“We just have to be patient. I know PSO is working as fast as they can 24 hours a day to get power restored. It is just taking some time. We are just asking folks to remain patient with them, remain patient with us,” said Howell.

For the time being, plan for your drive to take longer than normal.