TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — With cooler temperatures and Oktoberfest drawing more crowds to Mount Lemmon, the Pima County Sheriff's Department's Special Enforcement Team has stepped up patrols on the mountain's winding roads.
"There's a lot of sharp turns. There's a reason why it's 35 miles per hour," said Deputy Jaylon McEuen, who is part of PCSD's Special Enforcement Team.
Deputy McEuen says patrols began in August after a bicyclist reached out to PCSD to report reckless driving on the mountain. Since then, deputies have conducted about 175 traffic stops and issued about 14 citations, while other drivers received warnings.
"We don't want to scare the public. We just want them to obey all motor vehicle laws, driving safe, giving the bicyclist 3 to 5 feet, on the side of the road. And it goes for the bicyclists as well. We want to keep you guys safe," McEuen said. "So, don't necessarily ride in the road. I know there are laws that say you can ride in the roadway, but we just want to make sure that you're putting yourself in a safe position as well."
Mount Lemmon has seen 18 car accidents so far this year, with 11 of them being speed-related, according to PCSD. Last year, 33 car accidents happened on the mountain, of which 17 were speed-related.
More PCSD data shows four deadly crashes happened on the mountain in 2024 — three of them were speed-related. There have been zero deadly crashes on Mount Lemmon so far this year, according to PCSD.
First-time Mount Lemmon visitors I spoke with say seeing deputies along the road is reassuring.
"All these tight turns and curves, it could get a little sketchy. So, having them up here, I don't see a downside to it all. It's for everybody's safety. They're not here just to harass anybody. They're just making sure that we're safe coming up and down up here," Ann Marie Cornier said.
Jennifer Vemich, a regular Mount Lemmon visitor, says while most drivers are respectful, it only takes one person going too fast to cause an accident.
"One time when we came up, yes, we definitely saw motorcyclists that were going faster than was safe. And in fact, that day, there was a motorcyclist that crashed, and they had to close down the road for a while. So yeah, extra word of caution there," Vemich said.
Veteran motorcyclist Mario Guillemette says the rules of the road are simple.
"Don't stray over the yellow line. That's the main thing. Respect the speed. Don't stray over the line. Everybody will be fine," Guillemette said.
Deputy McEuen stressed that deputies want to educate people on following the speed limit rather than issuing a citation, but says that if you are a driver who has been warned before and gets caught speeding, then you will likely receive a citation.
With Oktoberfest taking over Mount Lemmon this weekend, Deputy McEuen wants people to take it slow and get home safely.
"Do not drink and drive. There's going to be a lot of drinking up there. It's called Oktoberfest. If you are drinking, please have a responsible driver, especially on a mountain. If you were to get into a collision and a guardrail doesn't catch you, you may be going down thousands of feet, and I just want to make sure everyone's being safe," Deputy McEuen said.
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