In Memory Of

Every class has its own crash story.  Whether it’s someone killed during high school or after, they will always be remembered as your classmate.  Not to specifically date myself here, but when I was in high school in the 80’s it seemed inevitable.  Every year you would know someone that died in an automobile crash.  It was accepted as something that just happened and took the lives of young and old every day.  It still robs lives, but we now know that, in most cases, it can be prevented.

I will never forget the date.  Although it’s been over 26 years now, I still recall the events of April 26, 1986.  My best friend and I were playing in an AAU basketball tournament in Farmington, Mo.  We arrived back in town late that evening only to be pulled over by other friends (no cell phones then), and advised that three of our classmates were in a traffic crash, with two of them dying and the third in critical condition.  As a small rural town the community gathered at a local church.  As teenagers we were asking “why”, as we mourned the critical condition and deaths of three outstanding student athletes, and children of our school and community leaders.  The impact of this accident is still felt by many to this date.  It’s something that we will never forget.

Little did I know that years later I would become a safety advocate, fighting to help reduce the serious injuries and fatalities on Missouri’s roadways.  Little did I know that I would be a parent that still remembered that April afternoon and prayed for my own teenager’s safety as I would watch him drive away with friends. 

Why do we wait until tragedy strikes to enforce the mandatory graduated driver license seat belt law on our own teenagers?  We ground them for not doing chores, coming home late, and terrorizing their younger siblings, but what are we doing to make sure their lives are safe on the road?  Why do teens wait until tragedy strikes to adhere to and reinforce this law to their peers?

Traffic crashes remain a leading cause of teen death. As a mom, that terrifies me. As a classmate, that frustrates me. As a safety advocate, that motivates me. Talk to teens - and anyone else you know who isn't a regular seat belt user. Buckling up costs nothing, but can save those who are most precious in the world.

Seven out of 10 Missourian’s killed in a 2011 traffic crash were unbuckled.  Buckle Up.  ARRIVE ALIVE!

Scootch for Safety

That cheer you heard the afternoon of July 9 came from the 2,400 MoDOT employees who regularly work on Missouri highways.

Governor Jay Nixon signed Senate Bill 611 into law. This law goes into effect August 28 and expands the 2002 “Slow Down and Move Over” statute that protects law enforcement and emergency response vehicles parked on the side of the road.

So come next month, motorists must slow down or change lanes when approaching MoDOT vehicles parked on the side of the highway with amber and white lights flashing – just like we drivers already do when there’s an ambulance, Patrol, police or sheriff’s car on the shoulder.




With the drastic drop in MoDOT’s construction budget, my coworkers are pretty much in a maintenance-only mode. It’s likely you’ll see more crews next to or on the road as they attempt to take care of Missouri’s existing system of highways and bridges, rather than building new lanes and structures.

Let’s do them a favor. The law takes effect in late August. How about we spend the next several weeks practicing?

When you see a MoDOT vehicle on the side of the highway, either change lanes or slow down. You’ll be doing your part to help hard-working folks get home in one piece.

And to those of you who have always moved over or slowed for MoDOT workers – or anyone on the shoulder – we noticed. We appreciate your concern for our safety and thank you.

Time to Focus and Win!

What a great way to start off 2012 -- a pledge for safe driving, and a 2012 Ford Focus! There's still time to make your pledge and enter to win! Entries are accepted until December 14, 2011. Follow Focus on the Road at www.facebook.com/focusontheroadmo or visit www.connectmidmissouri.com/focusontheroad.

Good luck, and safe travels!

Winter Won't Wait

For me, this year has flown! I did a double-take this morning when I realized it's actually the last month of the year, the month winter officially begins. I've really been in denial about the cold coming, still occasionally going out without my coat, staring longingly at my sandals.

But experience has taught me that no matter what schedule I'm on, winter won't wait.

The last thing I want is to be stranded with a car that I didn't prepare for winter. If I'm cold now, I can imagine how I'd feel stuck in a snowstorm.

This video is a good reminder to get my vehicle in shape for the snow ahead. Hope it helps you too! Let us know if you have any tips to add for safe winter travel.

MoDOT Minute

Your MoDOT Minute for this week discusses repairs to damaged roads in Northwest Missouri due to flooding, as well as results from the The HEAT Is On campaign:

The Three E's

Engineering ...
Enforcement ...
Education ...

These three things are used successfully by the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety to keep traffic fatality levels at a level not seen since 1950. Today, the Governor's Highway Safety Association recognized MoDOT as a leader in that success.

MoDOT received the Peter K. O'Rourke Special Achievement Award for spearheading the safety coalition that has realized a decrease in traffic fatalities and disabling injuries for the past five years. Traffic fatalities in Missouri have decreased by 35 percent since 2005 and the trend continues downward. To date in 2011, traffic fatalities are down by 11 percent.

For more information on how MoDOT has worked to improve highway safety in Missouri, visit www.savemolives.com.

Safest Driving Cities

Springfield, Mo., is one of the safest cities in the nation for drivers.

The Allstate Insurance Company released their 7th annual Allstate America's Best Drivers Report. It ranks the nation's 200 largest cities in terms of car collision frequency to identify which cities have the safest drivers.

Springfield ranks seventh, with the average driver going 12 years without collisions.

Springfield has completed several major projects that help keep traffic moving smoothly. The nation's first diverging diamond interchange opened in 2009, with a second opening in July 2010. The award-winning, innovative design helps relieve congestion in a tight area, keeping drivers safer.

This week, Springfield opened the first six-lane highway in southern Missouri on Route 65. The project added a lane in each direction in the median, with a 7-foot-wide median shoulder and a concrete barrier separating the northbound and southbound sides. These improvements will keep traffic moving and motorists even safer.

Based on your travels in the state, which city would you say had the best or worst drivers?

Are We There Yet?

A recent survey of Missouri motorists shows that more Missourians are buckling up - that's great news!

But are we where we need to be?

The national average for seat belt use is 85 percent -- even with the recent three-percent jump in Missouri, we're still at 79 percent.  How comfortable are we to know that 21 percent of motorists in our state face ejection from their vehicle if a traffic crash occurs?

Some vehicle types stand out when looking at seat belt use. For example, pickup truck drivers are among the worst with only 66 percent buckling up. Considering those rockin' trucks also have an affinity to roll, that makes quite a bumpy ride (or flight) for that unrestrained driver.

MoDOT continues to support the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety to support seat belt use and work to make sure everyone makes it click when they hit the road. A primary seat belt law would likely raise our percentage and save lives - 32 states already have this.

In the meantime, make sure you and your passengers are buckled every trip, every time. Learn more about seat belt safety in Missouri at www.savemolives.com.

What Are Your Dreams?

"On the Road, You Can Make or Break Your Dreams." 

No doubt, dreams can end in an instant with distracted driving. But one teen in Hannibal is working to change that through a song.

Kori Caswell is one of 10 finalists in the Belt It Out contest, presented by Ford Motor Company through its Driving Skills for Life program. You're invited to vote for the top finalists. Visit drivingskillsforlife.com to vote for Kori today and to show your support for teens driving without distractions.



Distracted driving is the leading cause of traffic crashes in Missouri and nationwide.

Don't let your dreams be broken.

As Kori sings,

     "Keep both hands on the wheel, face straight forward, and turn your cell phone off....on the road, you can make or break your dreams."

It's Not Necessary

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is working with automakers and pushing for them to create campaigns against texting while driving. The ad above is from BMW - and makes a clever point to all of us parents out there who worry about so many details, but perhaps risk missing the big picture.

LaHood is also asking automakers not to add features that distract drivers -- like facebook and twitter. Says Lahood, "It's not necessary."

In a recent article on Mashable.com, Todd Wasserman asks the question about whether LaHood is standing in the way of progress or working to rightly curtail driving distractions. What do you think?

Wish smart phones so readily available and tempting drivers with the latest social update, would it be safer to have a gadget provided by the auto manufacturer, so that at least drivers weren't holding their phones? Or, is this a path that can only lead to increased injuries and death on our roads?

What's the Coolest Gadget in Your Truck?

From a microwave oven to devices that slow the truck down automatically, these truckers share the scoop about their coolest gadgets.

Being Barrel Bob is Busy Business

Educating travelers around Missouri about work zone safety is hard work, and let me tell you, I have earned my stripes. Since Work Zone Awareness Week kicked off on April 4, I have been busy touring the state and telling everyone about keeping safe in work zones. You have to keep your eyes open though, because you never know where you’ll find me. The following are just a few of the places I’ve been spotted over the past few weeks:

In the Kansas City area, I’ve been seen on Interstate 70 and Interstate 435 as you enter the work zone close to the Blue Ridge cutoff. If you look closely, you may notice my partner Barrel Betty by my side.

In Mid-Missouri, I’ve been in work zones on Route 50 in Cole County, the downtown MoDOT General Headquarters building during the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission meeting, the westbound Interstate 70 rest area in Boonville for awhile, then in Benton County along Route 65 in Warsaw just south of Route 7. Currently, motorists can find me along westbound Route 54 at the Route Y interchange in Camden County.

In the St. Louis area, I began the week at the Page Avenue construction project on Interstate 270, visited the Chain of Rocks rest area, worked at the Traffic Management Center in West St. Louis County, at Interstate 44 and Bowles Avenue near Fenton for a resurfacing project and I even attended the Meet the Machines event on Lake Bluff Drive.

In my off time, I provide regular updates of my travels, as well as photos, radio spots, and sometimes even funny comments on my personal Facebook page. In fact, you might even say I’ve become somewhat of an international phenomenon since I currently have fans from eight different countries, several states and many cities. My fans even speak more than five different languages! But, no matter how you say it – my message is still the same … Don’t Barrel Through Work Zones! Keep on the lookout for me in a work zone near you.

Keeping You on the Right Side of the Road

If you have driven across the state of Missouri, chances are you have seen Median Guard Cable and may not even have known it.

Guard Cable has already been installed from St. Louis to Kansas City on Interstate 70. It also stretches along Interstate 44 and on Highway 63 from Jefferson City to Columbia and other major highways across the Show-Me-State.

But what exactly is Guard Cable? Watch above to find out.

Compelling Slogan

A compelling slogan for why you should buckle up!

Help is on the way

“You’re my savior!”
“Now I won’t be late for work.”
“Thank you for getting me off this busy highway.”

Those are just a few of the things I heard drivers say recently to St. Louis motor assist operators. I had the great pleasure of riding along with a few of these MoDOT team members to see why it’s important to keep highway traffic moving, and experienced a lesson in humanity as well.

The main goal of MoDOT's motorist assist program is to keep traffic moving on the busy highways in the St. Louis and Kansas City area. For every minute a lane is closed… 20 minutes of backup is the result. This is not only problematic for traffic flow, but dangerous too. Cars and trucks go zipping by at speeds exceeding 70 MPH and many of these stranded motorists feel confused as to what to do next. Many people don’t know why their car stalled, how to change a tire, or have anyone to call if they run out of gas. It was quite amazing to see relief and joy appear on dozens of faces once they realized help had arrived and their stopped vehicle was able to get going again. It was nice to see people get the help they desperately needed, but I also noticed that by assisting these motorists it allowed for everyone else to continue safely down the highway.

I was glad to see just how dedicated MoDOT motorist assist operators are when it came to helping drivers and keeping traffic running smoothly. I was a part of more than 25 assists and the MoDOT operators I took a ride with were able to get every one of these stranded drivers off the shoulder and back on the highway. Many Missourians don’t realize this service exists and are even more surprised when they’re told the help is free.

Let’s hope none of you have to deal with car troubles that force you off the road, but feel solace in the fact that help from MoDOT and motorist assist operators is on the way.

Wish List

Every motorist has an opinion of other drivers' behavior. My pet peeve? Tailgaters. Grrrrr

My husband is willing to give those who irritate him the benefit of the doubt. When someone blazes past him, obviously flaunting the speed limit, he remarks that the driver must have a digestive issue and has urgent needs to attend to.

What about the folks who spend their workday on the road? What behavior would professional drivers most like other highway users to change?

MoDOT posed that question to participants in the Missouri Truck Driving Championships. The answers are posted in a "Trucker on the Street" segment on MoDOT's YouTube site.

I bet you can guess what they say before you watch the video:

• Pay attention to your surroundings
• Buckle up
• Be courteous. Show respect.
• Give everyone enough space.
• Use turn signals.

It seems to me that full-time drivers have the same concerns as most part-time highway users.

Stay tuned. More Trucker on the Street videos are coming soon.

Taking Impaired Drivers Off the Road

Foristell Police Department put their brand new DWI enforcement car to good use: by making a bust involving 70 pounds of marijuana.

Foristell Police Department was awarded the car by MoDOT's Division of Highway Safety for their 2009-2010 DWI enforcement efforts. They were randomly selected from 105 law enforcement agencies that participated in all five statewide DWI enforcement campaigns from August 2009 through July 2010.

Statewide DWI enforcement campaigns are held for St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, the Fourth of July, the annual You Drink & Drive, You Lose. Campaign and during the December You Drink & Drive, You Lose. holiday campaign.

During the statewide campaigns from August 2009 through July 2010, law enforcement officers statewide issued 2,385 driving while intoxicated violations. In addition, citations and warnings were issued for 16,521 speeding violations, 3,770 safety belt violations and 309 child restraint violations.

In 2009, 280 people were killed, 1140 seriously injured and 3719 received minor injuries in crashes involving an impaired driver.