Lee's Summit Man Wins GPS System

One Missouri man took the time to learn more about work zone safety in Missouri and was rewarded with a brand new Garmin nuvi 750 GPS system.

Lee's Summit resident, Buck Sommerkamp, entered to win the GPS while visiting the MoDOT Web site and learning how to Arrive Alive while traveling in Missouri work zones. Some of the tips included slow down, drive sober, follow the signs and always buckle up.

“I’ve been buckling up since driver’s ed in high school,” Sommerkamp said. “We couldn’t turn the key until our seat belts were buckled, and that’s something I’ve taught both my boys.”

The contest was part of the annual work zone safety campaign sponsored by MoDOT that ran April through September. The campaign utilized online advertising to drive Missourians to http://www.modot.org/ where they could find a current listing of work zones and work zone safety tips. They could also enter to win baseball tickets and the free GPS.

More than 3,000 entries were received during the campaign. From April to July, two names were randomly selected each week for free Cardinals or Royals tickets. A grand-prize winner was randomly drawn for the GPS system. The baseball tickets were donated by TrueMedia in Columbia; the GPS system was donated by Garmin International.

In 2008, 12 people were killed in work zones, an increase from 2007 when five people were killed. Three MoDOT employees lost their lives on the job during 2008. Speed, inattention and tailgating are cited as the cause of most crashes in areas where roadwork is under way.


The GPS system will help Sommerkamp travel safely through work zones in the future.