What Part Don’t You Understand?

School is back in session and a hint of fall is in the air. With that comes those first few exciting weeks of school and, of course, big weekend plans. 

I grew up in a small rural town. As a teen we had our local buyer, you know, that guy in his mid twenties that still cruised by the high school during class time, ever so slowly to make sure that everyone knew he didn’t have to go to school. I don’t think he had a job either, but anyway, he was the town buyer.

Slip him enough for a six pack for himself and he’d buy you whatever you want.

Weekends were then spent in a field or on a dirt road drinking ourselves into a stupor on Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill, or whatever else we could afford. 

We never gave a thought as to how we would get home. Usually the one that drank the least would get behind the wheel.  We would take the back roads, coast the car down the hill to the house and park it, stagger indoors and pass out. We just didn’t think about a DWI or minor in possession, let alone a car crash, serious injuries or death.

It’s much different today. The word is out and everyone knows that drinking and driving is a deadly combination.

So let’s face it, you know the risk and you know the consequences.

Missouri has a Zero Tolerance Law. If you are under age 21, your license will be suspended if you’re caught driving with even a trace of alcohol in your system. If you cause a fatal crash while intoxicated, you can be charged with involuntary manslaughter, a felony resulting in up to seven years of jail time, a $5,000 fine or both.

In 2011, 218 people died and 867 were seriously injured in crashes involving an impaired driver.  Missouri takes this seriously. What part of Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over don’t you understand?  ARRIVE ALIVE.

Still, Buckle Up

An article in the New York Times last Friday talks about new safety standards under discussion for vehicles that would help keep unbelted passengers from flying out of side windows. Car manufacturers would have to add additional or larger airbags to the side windows by 2017, costing approximately $31 per vehicle.

I appreciate the use of every technology available to make vehicles as safe as possible. Traffic statistics prove that ejection from a vehicle is far more likely to cause death or a very serious injury, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that these standards would save nearly 400 lives each year. Certainly, that's a good thing.

One worry, though -- will it make people feel too safe? Will they think that buckling up doesn't matter?

What do you think? Would this technology make you feel like seat belts aren't as necessary?

We hope that no matter what vehicle you're in and what standards are adopted, you'll take the three seconds to ensure you remain safely in place.

Take the Right Steps

Take the right steps to stay safe when you're walking! 


Pedestrian fatalities have been increasing in Missouri. MoDOT is launching an effort to reduce these fatalities and encourage pedestrians to be safe, be seen and Arrive Alive.


Whether you're out for a stroll or your car breaks down, you may find yourself near a busy road. Here are some important steps you can take to be safe.

Be Safe. Be Seen. Arrive Alive.

• Obey signs and signals.
• Walk, don’t run.
• Use sidewalks. If you must walk in the street, walk single file, facing traffic and stay close to the edge of the road.
• Cross streets only at intersections or crosswalks.
• Don’t assume drivers will stop for you. Unless you are in a crosswalk, the driver usually has the right of way.
• Lighten up at night. Wear white or light colors, reflective strips and carry a flashlight.

For more information, visit www.saveMOlives.com.

Fall Color Update

As the weather cools, it looks like Missourians are in for some beautiful fall drives.

The Missouri Department of Conservation has put out a report on the color you can expect to see in your area. Those of you in the Ozark area are in for a special treat this season.

So where will you head? What are your favorite fall drives in Missouri? No matter where you travel, be sure to stay alert, buckle up and Arrive Alive.

Missouri Teen Battles Distracted Driving With Her Song

Kori Caswell

A Missouri Teen has won second place in a national contest focused on stopping distracted drivers. Kori Caswell, 17, of Hannibal, shared a life-saving message in her song "On the Road, You Can Make Or Break Your Dreams" as part of the Ford Driving Skills for Life "Belt It Out" song contest.

Hear Kori's winning song and check out the other winners at www.drivingskillsforlife.com. She received a $3,000 savings bond as her prize.

The contest involved 520,000 public votes and final judging by Shawn Wilson, president of Usher's New Look Foundation. The public selected the five finalists on www.drivingskillsforlife.com, and Wilson chose the first, second and third-place winners.

Congratulations Kori!

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."

What's on Your Stupid List?

Forrest Gump had a way with words. His whole aura was, well – simple. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t have deep thoughts.
One of his favorite sayings was “stupid is as stupid does”. That simple statement says a lot in certain situations. Some things are funny, some are just plain STUPID.
What’s on your stupid list? Here are a few of my faves:
Jump out of an airplane with no parachute.
Spend your life savings on a condemned house.
Bang your head against a concrete wall.
Run with scissors.
Climb an electric fence.
Hug a cactus.
Swim with sharks.
Shave your eyebrows.
Go fishing in your bathtub.
Fight Chuck Norris.
By far, one of the dumbest things you can do is riding in a vehicle with NO SEATBELT.
It’s not just stupid. It could leave you injured, paralyzed or dead!


Tell us what's on your stupid list at www.facebook.com/saveMOlives

Buckle Up and ARRIVE ALIVE!

Free gas? Yes please!

With the high price of gas, I cringe every time I fill up my car. Now would be a really nice time to give away $25 gas cards, right? Oh wait - the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety is! And it's really easy to win.

Go to the Save MO Lives Facebook page, pledge to wear your seat belt and be entered to win a $25 gas card donated by Casey's General Store. We have 225 total gas cards, so the odds of winning are in your favor. As are the odds of surviving a crash if you're buckled up!

The contest will run from May 23-June 12, 2011 and is open to Missouri residents 18 years of age and older. No purchase is necessary to win. Only one entry per person is allowed. Seventy-five winners will be randomly drawn each week and announced on the Coalition's website at http://www.savemolives.com/.

What are you waiting for - your car to run out of gas? Buckle and win!

Celebrate the Super Bowl with a Designated Driver

What’s your favorite part of the Super Bowl? Mine is definitely the commercials, with the food coming in as a close second. But, for many party-goers out there, knocking down a few alcoholic drinks may be one of their favorite ways to enjoy the big game and that can be a big problem if they plan on driving.

Super Bowl Sunday is one of America’s largest and most entertaining national sporting events. It is also one of the most dangerous days on the roads, due to drinking and driving. This year, you can make the right call and help prevent unnecessary deaths and injuries by designating a sober driver before you begin celebrating.

Young males, ages 21 to 34, are most likely to be involved in automobile crashes, to drive while impaired and be among those least likely to wear their safety belts. Research also shows that the same group is the core audience for major sporting events like the Super Bowl. Last year in Missouri there were 37 crashes on Super Bowl Sunday that involved an impaired (alcohol and/or other drugs) driver. One person was killed and 14 people were injured.

If you are hosting the party at your place, find unique ways to recognize the designated drivers at your party:

• Give them a great spot to watch the game
• Whatever non-alcoholic beverage they are drinking, make sure their glass is always full
• Let them have the first pass at the buffet table
• Make sure their cars are easy to access when it is time to start driving people home

And always encourage all partygoers to buckle up coming and going. Remember, Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk. For more information, visit saveMOlives.com.

Drive Clear in the New Year

Drive Clear in the New Year!

Over the past five years, 1,394 Missourians have been killed in impaired driving crashes. The choice is yours. Be responsible and make one of your New Year's resolutions be to Drive Clear in the New Year.

Take the Drive Clear in the New Year quiz to learn more about the devastating effects of impaired driving and you will be automatically entered to win one of four $20 gas cards from MFA Oil/Break Time. The contest runs from January 3-7, 2011. Winners will be randomly drawn and announced by 5 p.m. January 7.

Official Rules

We Need Your Ideas to Click

We need your help. Seat belt use in Missouri has remained relatively stagnant for the past six years, with seat belt use fluctuating only slightly between 75 percent and 77 percent since 2004. The national average is 85 percent. It is even more concerning when we look at specific groups of people in our state like truck drivers who are at 64 percent, or teen drivers who are at 66 percent.

Engineering, enforcement, education and emergency services are effective and necessary, but are no longer moving the numbers in the direction they need to be headed. We need some new and innovative ways to get Missourians to buckle up.

If you have a crazy, wild, might-just-work idea for increasing seat belt use, we want to hear it! Tweet @saveMOlives, post it to our Facebook or send an e-mail to savemolives@modot.mo.gov.

You are 42 times more likely to die in a crash if you are not wearing your seat belt. In 2009, 880 people were killed in traffic crashes. Of those killed, 67.2 percent were not wearing a seat belt. For more information, videos and statistics on the benefits of seat belts visit www.savemolives.com.

Be Thankful for Safe Travel

Like many other Missourians, my family and I will be traveling Wednesday to visit our family for Thanksgiving. Also like your family, we have traditions that must be upheld – the bountiful food of course (and not a chicken casserole like my mom tried to pass off as the Thanksgiving meal one year), and sharing what we are thankful for before the big meal this Thursday. Although there are many things I can list, I am most thankful that we will all be together. And while that may seem obvious, for 280 Missouri families it is not the case – their family members died last year as a result of impaired driving crashes.

Impaired driving continues to be a grave problem in Missouri and around the country leaving a human toll of lost lives, grief-stricken family and friends, injuries and disabilities that never go away. Over the last five years in Missouri, 1,348 people have been killed in impaired driving crashes and thousands more injured.

And the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas can be an especially dangerous time of year on the roads. Between the two holidays in 2009, 88 people died in traffic crashes in Missouri (21 were alcohol-related) and 4,650 were injured (with 343 related to alcohol).

Some contend that those drinking and driving are simply hurting and killing themselves, but a substantial number of people killed or injured in these crashes are innocent victims. In fact, 31 percent of the fatalities and 40 percent of the injuries occurred to some other party involved in the crash – not the drinking driver or pedestrian.

So what can we do? Each of us can take the responsibility to drive sober, call a cab or designate a driver while celebrating this holiday season and urge all our friends and family to do the same. If you’ve had a personal experience with an impaired driving crash, you can share it with others on a special remembrance page at facebook.com/humantoll in hopes that more education will help others to not drive impaired and other families will be spared such tragedies.

When you get to your Thanksgiving meal this year, be thankful you got there safely and let’s all work together to Arrive Alive.