How to Save a Life

We are so glad Missouri teen Heidi Turner took the few seconds to buckle up. As her car slid on a rainy day and rolled two times, the seat belt kept her in place. When all other items in the car flew out the window, she didn't.

Heidi now knows how to save a life, just by clicking a simple seat belt.
Read the full story here.

If you don't buckle up for yourself, do it for your family. Do it for someone who loves you. This is why:

Heidi landed upside down and was able to crawl out the window to safety, thanks to her seat belt.

The seat belt made sure that the only passenger casualties were Heidi's purse and backpack.

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.

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?

Slam Dunk

Sometimes we all do stupid things. Today we’re releasing a new video that shows a kid who’s challenging another guy in a basketball game and betting his dad’s car. Unfortunately for the kid, the other guy is like three feet taller than him. It reminded me of when I was in college and would play pickup basketball games with some of the MU men’s players.

Ok, I’m tall for a woman, but at 5’9” there’s probably still about a foot difference between me and some of those guys. And, if I’m being truthful here, I wasn’t that good either. So, I fouled a lot and ended up with a few chipped teeth… but at least I didn’t bet my dad’s car. It was fun, but probably still kind of stupid. Still, it wasn’t near as stupid as not buckling up. Luckily for me, I always wear my seat belt, and that's a slam dunk for my safety.

Unfortunately for 24 percent of Missourians, they still don’t buckle. In fact, seven out of 10 Missourians killed in traffic crashes are unbuckled. It’s sad, really. It takes a couple of seconds to click your seat belt, and it can save the rest of your life.

In my life, I have a list of stupid things I’ve done about a mile long, but forgetting to buckle up isn’t one of them. So, please Buckle Up and Arrive Alive!

That Was Stupid - Bomb Squad

I’ve played eenie meenie miney moe many times, but never to deactivate a ticking bomb. Check out our very own MacGruber moment of “That was stupid.”

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!

Never Say Never

I can remember when I first got my driver’s license and I used to get so annoyed with my mother when she’d say, “Drive carefully!” Like I wasn’t going to? Besides I knew that I was a good driver and I would never get in a wreck…until I did. Luckily for me, I was buckled that night. Unfortunately, other Missouri teens aren’t so lucky and seven out of 10 teens killed in Missouri traffic crashes are unbuckled.

That’s why the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety is launching a new campaign, called “Never Say Never,” aimed at youth to get them to buckle up. Just like everything in life, anything can happen. Teens are getting in their cars to head to school, sporting events, extracurricular activities, part-time jobs and other events that fill their social calendars. Unfortunately, teens have the highest crash risk and lowest seat belt use of any age group.

That combination is deadly, yet far too many teens still think they are invincible. Because of this feeling of invincibility, teen seat belt use in Missouri is only 66 percent, much lower than state (76 percent) and national (85 percent) seat belt use.

The new teen seat belt campaign takes aim at this ‘it will never happen to me’ attitude. The campaign uses photos of crashed vehicles with phrases like “I”ll never wreck my car” and “I’ll never get hurt.” Then the campaign drives home the message “Never Say Never. Buckle Up.”

The campaign is just one of the new strategies for increasing seat belt use in Missouri. Law enforcement will also mobilize in March to enforce the seat belt law. Under the Graduated Driver License Law, teens are required to wear their seat belt and it’s a primary offense, meaning they can be pulled over solely for not wearing their seat belt.

Other strategies for increasing teen seat belt use include working with schools to revoke high school parking permits for students who don’t buckle up and rewarding students who do.

A teen seat belt observational survey in April will determine if the new strategies have increased Missouri’s teen seat belt use. Buckle Up and Arrive Alive.

Compelling Slogan

A compelling slogan for why you should buckle up!

Enforcement on the Island

Officer Scott Roach with Meghan Carter, the affiliate executive director for MADD St. Louis.

Officer Scott Roach with the St. Louis County Police Department has a passion for keeping people alive. Sometimes his passion leads him to an uninhabited island, or more precisely a median island at an intersection near Melville High School.

Officer Roach knows that keeping your hands on the wheel and off of your cell phone can prevent a crash, and wearing your seat belt can save your life if you are in one. The state of Missouri has made it illegal to text and drive if you are 21 or under; and St. Louis County has passed an ordinance saying you can be pulled over and ticketed if you are not wearing your seat belt – at any age.

He says these laws are sometimes difficult to enforce from the comfort of his patrol car simply because you can’t really see what is going on inside the vehicle of a passing motorist. He says people have taken to holding their cell phones down low so you can’t see what they are doing which makes texting and driving even more dangerous.

With all this in mind, on a recent week day, Officer Roach got out of his patrol car, and took an unassuming position on the island at the intersection of Lemay Ferry Road at Buckley Road in jeans and a hoodie.  He had previously set  up his plan with five officers in squad cars who were on the side of the road just ahead of him.

 “Two thumbs on a keyboard is a dead giveaway,” said Roach. But even then it’s difficult to prove someone was texting. They can always use the excuse of checking voicemail or flipping through their contact list. “One young lady said she was texting her mom to tell her she would be calling her later,” he said. “That is not worth causing an accident.”

From his spot on the island, he radioed ahead to the squad cars a visual description of the vehicles in which the drivers was breaking the law. In two hours, the officers had together written tickets for 35 seat belt violations and three texting while driving tickets.

“I decided it was time to do something different when I realized my own daughter is just 9 years away from driving,” says Roach. “ I won’t be able to stand on that island very many times before people catch on to me. But then we’ll come up with something new.”

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.

Who I Want to Be

I try my best not to be a helicopter mom. I try to let my kids, you know, make their own mistakes (on selected things).
But lately, my friends are probably starting to hear the sound of chopper blades when I’m around. Okay, I may preach a little about the benefits of seat belts and always ask if everyone in my car is buckled. Not to mention telling them they absolutely cannot text and drive.
I’ve begun to notice when my friends call me from their cell now, they quickly tell me they aren’t driving or that they didn’t text me earlier because they WERE driving.
So I think I’m developing a rep as the ENFORCER among my friends, family and neighbors.
Is it who I want to be? Well…. I’m a grownup now and I guess if it keeps any one of them, or anyone else from hearing the sounds of chopper blades from the Lifeflight helicopter after a car crash then it’s a badge I’m willing to wear, with honor.

Smartie or Dum Dum: Which will you choose?

Will your school be a Dum Dum or a Smartie?

Using Dum Dum pops and Smartie candies is one way students enforce seat belt use in Battle of the Belt. Students wearing their seat belts receive Smarties to reinforce this lifesaving decision while students failing to buckle up get a Dum Dum.

According to the results of the latest statewide seat belt survey, teen seat belt use is up to 66 percent from 61 percent. Unfortunately, that means 34 percent still aren’t wearing their seat belts and are at a greater risk to get injured or killed in traffic crashes.

Battle of the Belt 2010 kicks off today. Missouri high schools will be competing to increase seat belt use among students.

More than 200 Missouri high schools signed up for this year’s competition, an 38 percent increase in participation from last year.

Battle of the Belt consists of two surprise seat belt checks at each high school to measure student seat belt usage before and after an educational campaign on the importance of safety belt use.

Statewide awards are given to schools who reach 91 percent or higher seat belt usage. Awards are also given at the regional level to schools with the highest overall seat belt usage and most improved seat belt usage.

Schools also have the opportunity to submit a 30-second video spot aimed at encouraging their peers to buckle up.

Last year’s winning PSA came from Washington High School and can be viewed below. It featured the slogan “Everyone’s a Winner when you Buckle Up.”

Teen seat belt usage increased by 5 percent in 2010. Sixty-six percent of Missouri teens buckle up. Teen seat belt usage remains below Missouri statewide usage (76 percent) and national seat belt usage (85 percent).

Find out more about Battle of the Belt here.

Click It or Ticket Day and Night

How can we get more Missourians to buckle up?

That was the question on everyone’s mind the past two days at the Missouri Seat Belt Summit where safety experts from around the state gathered in Jefferson City to come up with a strategy for improving Missouri’s seat belt usage rate.

Seat belt use in Missouri has remained relatively unchanged in the last six years and consistently below the national average. Missouri has 77 percent seat belt usage, well below the national average of 84 percent. Missouri’s teen seat belt use is even lower at 61 percent. Seven out of 10 Missourians killed in traffic crashes are unbuckled.

Law enforcement officers will be cracking down on motorists who aren’t wearing seat belts May 24-June 6. The Missouri State Highway Patrol was present at the summit and made it clear that there is ZERO tolerance in Missouri for not wearing your seat belt.

Last year during the two-week Click It or Ticket campaign, 188 law enforcement agencies issued 7,243 seat belt and 243 child restraint violations. During the campaign, law enforcement also issued 10,322 speeding violations and made 375 DWI, 187 felony and 241 drug arrests.

Buckle up and encourage your loved ones to do the same. Wearing your seat belt costs you nothing and not wearing it can cost you everything.

Driver Arrested After Unbelted Passenger Dies in Work Zone Crash

A driver has been arrested for vehicular homicide because his unbelted passenger was killed in an early-morning traffic crash in a work zone Monday in the state of Washington. According to the Seattle Times, just after midnight Monday, the driver and his passenger were heading south on Interstate 5 when they crashed through several barrels in a work zone, and slammed into the back of a parked transportation department pickup. And although the driver was belted and he survived, he could pay with the rest of his life for allowing his passenger to ride unbelted.

This story hits close to home, because even though it took place in Washington and not Missouri, it touches on two traffic issues in our state that affect us all: work zones and seat belts. And this situation is especially poignant right now because April 19 kicks off work zone awareness week, which means you’ll be seeing orange barrels all over the state soon.

And unfortunately, crashes in work zones happen more than you may think. In fact, in 2009 there were almost 2,200 crashes in Missouri work zones. Thirteen people were killed in these crashes and another 670 injured. Between 2005 and 2009, 64 people were killed and 4,260 people were injured in Missouri work zones.

Although there are various reasons for work zone crashes like inattention, following too closely, improper lane usage/change, too fast for conditions and failure to yield – the main reason traffic fatalities are so high is because motorists don’t buckle up. In 2009, of the 878 total traffic fatalities, 693 were vehicle occupant fatalities and 67 percent of them were not wearing a seat belt.

I don’t let anyone ride in my vehicle unless they are buckled, period. And I pay attention and follow the signs in work zones. If we all remembered these few rules, we’d have fewer families mourning the loss of loved ones. So remember, Buckle up and Don’t Barrel Through Work Zones. Arrive Alive.

When You Hear the Click

Under Missouri’s Graduated Drivers License Law, seat belt use is required for young drivers. Unfortunately 40 percent of Missouri teens still don’t buckle up. Starting today and continuing through the end of the month, law enforcement will issue tickets to unbuckled drivers.

So why aren’t teens buckling up? A Southern Boone High School student says, “I just don't see it as the most important thing. I think there are other things you can do to avoid a crash.” Do you think the 304 teens killed in traffic crashes over the past three years thought the same thing?

Wearing a seat belt isn’t going to help you prevent a crash. It will, however, greatly increase your odds of surviving a crash. One in four Missouri traffic crashes involves a young driver, and seven out of 10 teens killed in traffic crashes are unbuckled.

Wear your seat belt every time you get in your car. It doesn’t matter if you’re going across town or to another state. It is one of the easiest ways you can protect yourself. Don’t wait until you are in a crash to realize it’s too late. Buckle up and Arrive Alive.

Record Cold + Blowing Snow = Cautious Driving

Right now, Missouri seems more hospitable for polar bears than for people. With brutally cold temperatures and snow hitting the state today, it's awfully appealing to just stay home.

But when you need to get out, you need clear, safe roads. And MoDOT is pulling out all the equipment, people and materials needed to make your travel as safe as possible.

It's going to be tougher for this storm. Record cold and blowing snow will make clearing roads more difficult. Temperatures this low mean the salt is not as effective on ice, and the blowing snow could mean it takes longer to clear roads.

We'll add other products like calcium chloride and beet juice to the salt to help it work better as temperatures drop. But there are some additional things you can do to make your travels safe. Your caution and attention is crucial. Please don't crowd the plows or try to pass them -- they're only trying to help. Be sure to buckle up, keep your lights on and don't speed.

And be sure to know before you go. Real-time road conditions are available at http://www.modot.org/through the Traveler Information Map. The map shows routes in different colors ranging from clear, to partially covered, covered or closed to travel. You can also call MoDOT's toll-free number, 888-ASK-MODOT, to get road condition information.

Stay warm and stay safe!

Observations from the Field

I’ve been watching you – and what I see is good!


Hubby and I were on the road again – 465 rainy Missouri miles on Tuesday alone. That gave me a lot of time to watch how car, truck and commercial truck drivers behave.

I saw that most Missourians are safe travelers. Almost 8 out of 10 buckle up – that’s the best defense we’ve got against serious injury or death if a crash were to happen. And most people share the road quite nicely.

Because vehicles on our highways range from bicycles to specially permitted high and wide load commercial trucks, safe travel is a matter of mutual respect. It appears that in at least one safety measure, Missourians are doing a great job: between 2006 and 2008, the number of commercial motor vehicle crashes that resulted in fatalities fell 19 percent.

I do my best to concentrate on driving so everyone can Arrive Alive, but I know I slip up from time to time. The last thing I want to do is distract another driver from the driving task, so I like the reminders the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety put out this week for Operation Safe Driver Week, Oct. 18-24, 2009. During the week, law enforcement agencies turn a keen eye toward the driving behavior of passenger cars and commercial trucks.

For passenger vehicle drivers, several tips can improve your safety when driving near commercial trucks or buses:
· Focus on driving. Texting, phone calls, eating and other distractions take your attention away from safe operation of your vehicle.
· After passing a truck, wait until you can see both of its headlights in your rearview mirror before pulling into the same lane.
· Keep a safety cushion around trucks. Can you see the truck’s side mirrors? If not, the driver cannot see you. Leave at least a 20-car-length gap when driving behind a truck.
· Never linger alongside a truck and risk “disappearing” from their vision due to blind spots.
· Obey speed limits and traffic signs.

It is also important for truck drivers to remember to:
· Pre-inspect the condition of your vehicle before travel and make sure your load is secure.
· Maximize the vision around your truck with properly adjusted mirrors; be sure mirrors are properly set and clean.
· Focus on driving, not distractions.Obey speed limits and traffic signs. Excessive speed reduces your ability to avoid a crash, extends your vehicle’s stopping distance, and increases the severity of a crash when it occurs.



As impressed as I am with Missourians' driving, I'm tired! I think we'll stick close to home this weekend...but there are some really great fall festivals and Oktoberfests and...

No Substitute

Before heading to the next big game, make sure you buckle up. No Substitute!

Join the Battle of the Belt Challenge

Calling all Missouri high school students to compete in the 2009 Battle of the Belt Challenge for an opportunity to win cash and prizes for your school.

The Battle of the Belt is a competition between Missouri high schools to increase seat belt use among students. The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety, Missouri Emergency Nurses Association and American Family Insurance sponsor the program.

During the competition, teens participate in an observational safety belt survey conducted before and after an education blitz to determine the change in seat belt use among teens. Prizes are awarded to schools for having the highest seat belt use statewide and locally. Prizes are also awarded for those schools showing the most improved seat belt use.

It’s not too late to sign up. It’s easy to do and teaches a life-saving message. A Participation Agreement Form must be completed by Oct. 2, 2009. Visit www.savemoyouth.com for more information.

Check out this student-produced video from the competition last year.

Show Us Your Seat Belt Dance

More than 250 seat belt videos have been posted online in the first round of the Get Your Buckle On video competition which ended Aug. 31.

Many of the videos were filmed in the Highway Gardens Exhibit Hall at this year’s Missouri’s State Fair. Teens, young children and adults all had a blast dancing to the original song, “Get Your Buckle On.”

The winner of the first-round contest will be announced by Oct. 1 as we kick off Get Your Buckle On – Round 2.

Visit www.getyourbuckleon.com/ to check out the videos.