Hazardous road conditions, which are expected to become worse overnight, and reported conflicts between drivers and public safety personnel, led to the implementation of a curfew in Coweta and the city of Newnan from 5 p.m. Wednesday until 10 a.m. Thursday.

Hazardous road conditions – and the actions of motorists on Wednesday – led Coweta and city of Newnan officials to set a curfew, starting at 5 p.m., to keep people off roadways. The curfew is set to expire at 10 a.m. Thursday.



Those who have to travel for work requirements are exempt from the curfew. So are emergency personnel. Construction and repair workers are exempt if they are traveling to do repairs related to the weather events.

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“This is for nonessential travel – we understand people that have to go to work,” said Coweta Commission Chairman Al Smith.

People were drag-racing down Bullsboro Drive in Mini-Coopers on Wednesday and doing donuts in parking lots while people were trying to shop, said Jay Jones, Coweta Emergency Management Director. While out working to treat roads, Ray Norton of Newnan Public Works was nearly hit by someone driving erratically, Jones said.

There were even reports of people getting into verbal altercations with public safety officials who pulled them out of ditches and told them to please go home and stay off the roads, Jones said.

“How many instances do we have to have before we say – OK, enough is enough?” Jones said Wednesday afternoon. “It only takes one person that is not acting appropriate and driving like they should be and trying to joyride and somebody is going to get hurt.”

The more people who are out on the roads, the higher the likelihood of accidents. “Once you lose control of that car, it’s like a missile,” Jones said.

“We’re wanting to protect those people who are on the road legitimately.”

“We are erring on the side of caution and safety,” said Smith. If someone gets into an accident because they are out on the roads “doing stuff just because they don’t want to stay home,” then emergency personnel have to respond, and emergency personnel can end up in a slippery situation as well.

“We really don’t want our people going to get you out of a ditch when you’re not going anywhere and you’re not doing anything, you’re just out there because you’re bored and you don’t want to sit home,” Smith said.

If people didn’t expect public safety to come help them when they run off the roads while joyriding, that would be a different matter, Smith said.

Coweta’s public safety agencies are operating at maximum capacity, the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office posted on its Facebook page. “The current weather conditions can create additional risks to our community members that would dramatically overstretch our public safety servants.”

“So please stay home and help us serve the community during these dangerous winter conditions by spending time with your families and neighbors,” the post read.

Roads were bad all day Wednesday and will only get worse as temperatures drop and the sun goes down. Coweta and Newnan crews have been working around the clock to treat roads with salt and sand, but the cold temperatures forecast overnight will cause everything on the roads to refreeze.

Temperatures need to be 23 or 24 and rising, or the sun needs to be shining, for the salt treatment to have an effect, said Associate County Administrator Eddie Whitlock.

Four road treatment crews will be working overnight, concentrating on trouble spots such as intersections, steep grades and overpasses.

More crews will take over in the morning.

Whitlock said the roads were as bad as he’s seen in many years, and will get worse overnight.