In our motoring past, many of us may have been guilty of moments of poor indiscretion while behind the wheel.

Many, like myself, have paid for their blunders.In my younger driving days, while on my way to work, I foolishly ignored a barrier on a newly-paved street after seeing the car in front successfully get through without a hindrance.No problem, I thought, but just like in a Seinfeld episode, an authority figure was waiting for me at the end of the street and I was nailed with a hefty fine.I learned a costly lesson for avoiding that road barrier.This week, it was announced that state lawmakers are considering a bill that would penalize drivers who ignore roadblocks and take their vehicles into flooded roadways. They wisely determined that this kind of habit can endanger their lives, not to mention the rescuers who are called to assist.Last month, the state House approved the measure and sent it to the Senate for consideration. The bill calls for violators to pay a $250 to $500 fine plus the cost of any rescue that is required. It would also add two (negative driving) points to your driver's license.Republican Rep. Todd Stephens from Montgomery County, the bill's sponsor, decided to propose the measure after learning about the "Turn Around, Don't Drown" campaign through the National Weather Service. He said people who drive around the barricades often put themselves, as well as the first responders who come to help them, in danger."It only takes a few inches of water. Once your car is floating downstream, you're in trouble," Stephens said.Don Konkle, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Fire and Emergency Services Institute, said incidents often occur as first responders are already trying to deal with flood damage, houses struck by lightning and downed trees and power lines.He calls the lack of common sense by some drivers "astounding." He estimates that during his 37 years at the Harrisburg Fire Department, firefighters were sent about five times a year to rescue people who had ignored signs for flooded areas. Some foolishly even attempted to drive into a flooded area while first responders were there trying to rescue someone else.Konkle, who calls the bill an "excellent piece of legislation," doesn't think the new penalties will discourage people from calling for help if they are in an emergency. He said when people are in a stressful situation and are frightened, many don't worry about the cost of dialing 911 at the moment.Cumberland County police chief Todd Bashore, is among the many local police chiefs who support of the bill, the consensus being that when drivers get stuck in floodwaters, they are putting emergency responders at risk who have to go out there and save them.By Jim Zbickjzbick@tnonline.com