Something that NO parent should EVER have to bear

By Angie Landon Dunsworth

Miranda Dunsworth

On the night of June 20, 2012, Miranda was spending the afternoon with her boyfriend. Hours went by and it started getting late, and still no sight of Miranda. A rush of emotions went through my body, I started to feel anxious. I began texting her and calling her and no answer.

At first, I tried not to let my gut or mother’s intuition take over, but I could feel something was wrong. I kept trying to get in contact with her. I wanted to wake up my husband and tell him she wasn’t home, but I couldn’t do it. I kept telling myself she was going to walk through that door any second and I shouldn’t overreact. I must have called and texted her about 100 times before the doorbell rang. Who would have thought that the doorbell would have changed our lives forever.

Officer Sam Darroch and Dr. Nathan Strandmark were standing at my door. When I saw both of them, I knew in my gut what their next words would be, but I was in shock. They both looked at me with despair. They said, “Angie, Miranda…” while shaking their heads. They paused for a moment. I replied in denial, “Miranda what?” They proceeded to finish their sentence. “Miranda didn’t make it; she was in a bad accident.”  

Later, we learned how that night came to be. Around 12:35 a.m., June 21, 2012, Miranda was running late from seeing her boyfriend. It was past her curfew. She headed eastbound on Mary Street for home. This road has a very steep ditch on the south side. I can’t say my daughter is perfect, but she was always a BIG stickler on wearing seat belts. As hard as it is for me to say, she took her seat belt off to reach for something she had dropped.

As she tried to reach for whatever it was, she noticed she was headed toward that steep ditch and overcorrected. Her car then flipped, which flung her straight up and caused her to break her neck. She died instantly. She was then thrown from the car. The car landed on her, rolling three more times.

For those who read this, it doesn’t matter if you are only going to be unbuckled for 2 seconds. That’s all it took for Miranda. If you drop something and cannot reach it, LEAVE IT!!!! Nothing is more important than your life. Don’t kill yourself or someone else over things that don’t matter. NEVER take off your seat belt, and NEVER reach for things while you’re driving. Pull over or get it when you stop somewhere.

To the parents who read this, teach your kids how to get out of situations like that so they don’t overcorrect and roll the vehicle. Most importantly, teach them to never reach for things while they drive and always wear their seat belts. One thing I suggest is teaching them to drive on a dirt road. When you start to slide on a dirt road you, a) let off the gas; b) ride with grooves till the vehicle slows down and you regain control; and c) DO NOT SLAM THE BRAKES!!! Something I should’ve practiced more with my daughter.

During Miranda’s funeral, pastor Robert Deleon, her friends, and everyone who attended created the ‘Miranda Rule!’ - to always wear your seat belt while in a vehicle. To this day I hear kids yelling, “remember the Miranda Rule!” It brings a warm smile back to my face that people still remember my daughter.

Friends have also honored Miranda by creating a documentary in tribute to her and by getting a street named after her. These things mean so much to all her family members.

Two years later after Miranda’s passing, her younger sister, Ari, was about to turn 16 years old, and I knew the time would be coming for her to start driving. But I was NOT ready for her to start. It was difficult for me to allow my other children to get behind the wheel. She was able to get her license and is now a 24-year-old army wife. To this day has not crashed, and I pray every day she never crashes.

I remember my daughter, Miranda, as a beautiful 16-year-old girl who loved basketball, kids, friends, boys, school, and cars. She was happy, full of life, and had a beautiful future. She was very involved in sports and had many, many friends who loved her and supported her.

I recall back to when I took Miranda to get her farm permit when she was 14 years old. When she was given her permit, they asked her if she would like to be an organ donor. She looked at me and asked what that was. I told her, it’s when something happens to you and if you would like to give your organs to help others in need. I told her it was her choice and her choice alone if she wanted to be a donor. She said to me, “If I could save at least one life, that would make my life worth living.” She loved that analogy, so she became a donor and thanks to Miranda, she was able to help/save over 100 people! People from Oklahoma all the way to Maine received life-saving organs from Miranda. A person from Oklahoma received her eyes. It is heartwarming to know a little piece of her lives on.

It’s been a little over 10 years since the never-ending nightmare began. To this day, when I hear certain songs, if my children don’t answer my calls, if I hear sirens or come up onto a wreck, it brings me right back to that night. It brings me back to Miranda’s funeral and images in my head of my baby lying on a cold slab, something that NO parent should EVER have to bear. Two seconds is all it took to take her life.

Angie Landon Dunsworth is the mother of Miranda and Ari, and is from Garden City

 

Every parent's nightmare is to outlive their child

 By Todd Linder

March 13, 2023, I lost my 16-year-old Cassandra Kay Linder in an automotive crash in Garden City. My daughter’s car was struck head-on by a commercial truck that swerved into her lane. At 4:45 p.m., I received a call from a deputy sheriff who told me that Cassy had been in a bad car crash and that she was alive but hurt very badly and that I needed to rush to the hospital.

I rushed out of UniFirst and into my car and drove and prayed all the way to the hospital. When I arrived, some nurses had come out and said she was alive, and the doctors were doing everything they could to help her. In the minutes that followed, other family members and friends started showing up. After 15 minutes, two doctors and two nurses emerged from the ER, and I knew what they were about to tell me. The feeling of hurt and sadness can’t be described in words.

After a sleepless night, the Kansas Highway Patrol called me and asked if they could come to our home and provide us with some of the details of the crash. When he arrived, he told us the CMV had been equipped with an onboard camera and with tears in his eyes he said he watched the entire crash happen on video. 

The officer told us Cassy did nothing wrong and that the CMV driver was at fault for the collision. The investigation is still not finalized, but the officer told us that the other driver was distracted at the time of the crash and likely fatigued. I knew in my heart that she had done things correctly from the beginning, the way she was taught.

The immense pain and loss our family feels are indescribable, and I share this grief-filled journey not for sympathy, but to shed light on a crucial issue: the importance of road safety, especially concerning commercial truck drivers. In a world of constant connectivity, the line between professional and personal life is often blurred, especially for commercial drivers. The pressure to meet tight deadlines, long hours on the road and lure of smartphone notifications can easily lead to distractions. But what many might brush off as a mere second of inattention can lead to irreversible tragedies.

A little bit about Cassandra, she was born September 29, 2006, in Lakin, Kansas. Cassandra loved to read, she had excellent grades/attendance in school and was active in Stucco, Halo, dance and loved being a manager for track and basketball. She was popular in school because she was real. She was also a gymnastics coach for the Gymnastics Center where she worked part time after school and during the summer last year. She loved her job. She also loved listening to music and especially Taylor Swift. For Christmas this year, I purchased her a ticket to go to the Taylor Swift Concert in July. She unfortunately did not get to go physically but was there spiritually with her two older sisters. I often describe Cassy as headstrong, caring and a responsible young adult who had the willingness and drive to be successful later in life. 

I was always taught to make the best of any situation, in this case a horrible situation. I have started reading about distracted driving and have become an advocate on the dangers, this has helped me through my grieving process, and helped me keep Cassy’s name alive. Her friends from high school have made signs and posts on social media, and we have visited the Sheriff’s office, EMS and Highway Patrol.

Cassandra was always fond of the sunflower; her vault was covered with sunflowers painted all over it. So, we have made the sunflower emoji the reminder to not drive distracted. When going out to eat, we leave memorial cards at the restaurants with reminders to not drive distracted. We have had a flag made up that we use at local car shows that also reminds others that distracted driving kills.  Her friends and I have also done a news spot about our campaign. We plan to give out cards and decals that have a sunflower as a reminder to not drive distracted. 

The Kansas Department of Transportation also declared the highway where Cassandra lost her life as a Safety Corridor and warns of increased enforcement. The sad thing is when they announced the program many people just didn’t get it, it was ridiculed as a wasteful project of tax dollars. Many said it was just a program to give out more tickets, and others said it’s a violation of their rights. It’s sad to read these comments and in a way, angers me. In my opinion if the signs save just one life, then it all is worth it. I am sure that if the roles were reversed and it was the ridiculer’s child, they would think differently about the Safety Corridors. 

Every parent’s nightmare is to outlive their child. The pain is unimaginable, yet it is a reality for too many families. I urge all drivers, especially those operating large vehicles, to understand the weight of responsibility on their shoulders. Each time you’re behind the wheel, it’s not just about getting from point A to point B, it’s about safeguarding your life and the lives of others on the road.

Please, let’s unite in our commitment to road safety. Please, please, Don’t Drive Distracted.

Thanks for reading Cassy’s story.

Todd Linder

“Father of an Angel”

When driving, take mental distractions seriously

By Mallory Goeke

I’ve worked at KDOT for more than seven years. I help create social media content and graphics to encourage travelers to drive safely. I also try to remind my own family members to put the phone down, because distractions while driving are dangerous.

When thinking about distracted driving, the first things I think of are texting or using social media, chatting with passengers, eating, putting on make-up, etc.

None of those things contributed to my crash last October.

I had a million things to do. I had just finished a round of physical therapy, and my mom was coming to visit later that evening. It was my little sister’s birthday weekend, and there was a delivery truck down the street with flashing lights. I reminded myself that I needed to give the truck room when I passed.

While I made that mental note, I didn’t even process what happened next - until it was too late.

I had driven on that same street nearly every day for more than six years. I must have stopped at the same stop sign thousands of times.

But on that day, I was so lost in thought that what I needed to do at the stop sign didn’t even register in my head.

I can still see the flash of maroon as another car slammed into my vehicle on the driver’s side. I can still feel the way my van spun out of control. The sounds of metal crunching, the blur of color and the smell of smoke still haunt me.

I looked up and realized I was hit so hard that I had ended up in someone else’s yard. My van was destroyed. The front end and driver’s side were smashed in, broken glass was everywhere.

It was my first car crash where I was driving, and it was completely my fault.

Thankfully, the other driver and I didn’t suffer any long-lasting physical injuries. But I still recoil when I ride past that stop sign.

I was reminded that driving distracted can involve a lot of things. When you are behind the wheel of a vehicle, you have many jobs – to pay attention, process what is going on around you, follow all traffic signs and react when needed.

With all the distractions we face, it can be easy to check out. But if you find there is too much going on in your head, take a moment and find a safe place to park. Collect your thoughts and refocus before continuing to drive.

Ditch the distractions and drive alert.

Mallory Goeke is a Communications Specialist in KDOT’s Division of Communications.

  

Never let your guard down in a work zone

Chris Fasching

 My name is Chris Fasching, and I am the Highway Maintenance Superintendent for Area Three in Bonner Springs (Kansas City). I joined KDOT in 1990 as an Equipment Operator I, and I have been working in Area Three my entire career. 

Safety in work zones has always been emphasized at KDOT since my very first day. I have worked in all types of work zones, from rural two-lane to multilane interstates, and I have seen a lot of close calls. They always get your blood pumping and make everyone on the job angry. There have been many times that I thought a co-worker might get hurt or worse because of an inattentive driver. But the first time it happened to me is still the most memorable. It was just a few weeks after I started the job.

I was working on a rural section of a two-lane highway that had some hills, curves and deep ditches. We happened to be working on a straight section of the road, so I figured my biggest problem would be staying alert since traffic was light. Sometimes there were several minutes between cars.

 Around 9:30 a.m. that morning, a single car was coming in my direction. I turned to signal the other flagman that I had a car approaching. But he was already signaling me that he was going to send a car my way. The car coming toward me was far enough away that it had plenty of time to stop, so I raised my paddle higher and waived it back and forth.

By then, I could see that the car was a big, old 1970s Oldsmobile, and it seemed to be slowing down. I quickly checked on the car coming from behind me, and it looked like it was going to pass by me about the same time as the other car coming toward me.

But when I turned back to look at the Oldsmobile, I realized that it wasn't slowing down like I thought. I waived the paddle faster and tried to get his attention, but he just kept coming. The bank on my side of the road was steep, but I couldn't get to the other side of the road because of the car coming in the other lane behind me. That only left one way to go, and I was out of time. 

I let go of the paddle and ran for the steep bank. It was only about six feet from the edge line to the back slope, and I had to scramble. I heard the Oldsmobile try to stop before it ran over the flagging paddle behind me. By the time the car stopped, about 75 feet past where I had been standing, I was already running towards it. I was mad! 

As I got closer to the car, I could see that the driver was an older man, and the older woman in the passenger seat was hitting him with a very large purse. After that, most of the anger went out of me. I motioned him to back up so I could get the flagging paddle that was stuck under the car, then I sent him on his way.

The lesson I learned is that it doesn't matter where it is or how busy the work zone is, there is always the potential for something to go wrong. You can never let your guard down or get complacent in a work zone.

Fortunately, KDOT has made a lot of positive changes in work zones and will continue to look for ways to improve work zone safety. We have larger and more reflective signs, high visibility vests and other gear, portable rumble strips, better lights on the trucks/equipment and reliable, handheld radios to communicate with.

But as long as there are vehicles coming through the work zones, there will always be the possibility of something going wrong. Motorists, please slow down and pay extra attention in work zones. I want to go home every night to my family.

Chris Fasching has worked at KDOT for more than 30 years

Stay alert for wildlife along roadways

 

By Jim Stauffer

When someone shares a message about safe driving, we are used to seeing them share about wearing seat belts and avoiding distractions. In my time working for the Kansas Turnpike Authority, our organization has shared those same messages, but something I have experienced is the number of wildlife incidents we have on the road.

My job requires me to travel the Turnpike daily, and I have come across a number of motorists who have been in accidents with wildlife. In fact, KTA’s recent safety assessment showed 28% of single vehicle crashes are with an animal.

Deer will always pose a threat on the roads, and drivers should be looking for them as well. One of the strangest incidents I saw involving a deer was an accident where the antler came through the car windshield and got lodged in the steering wheel, disabling the vehicle. While I have encountered other drivers who have had an incident with a deer on the road, there are many instances with other wildlife to be aware of when on the roads.

One memorable incident involved a mother and daughter who were traveling to Topeka when a turkey vulture left its perch on the median wall right in front of their vehicle. Both mother and daughter were okay after the accident, but it did disable their vehicle. In another incident, a driver on the Turnpike had a goose fly into their windshield. It actually crashed into the car and out the back window.

It also pays to be aware of wildlife after an accident. In one incident where a driver struck a turkey on the road, the animal was just knocked out and became aggressive when it came to. This led to the responding patrol officer needing to put a car between the turkey and the people involved.

In all the situations I described there was vehicle damage, but fortunately, the drivers and passengers came out of these incidents unscathed. Wildlife can be unpredictable, and any of these situations could have been worse in different circumstances. I want to encourage drivers to stay aware of their surroundings, avoid unnecessary distractions and be prepared for the unexpected.

 Jim Stauffer is a Teller at the Kansas Turnpike Authority

 

Nothing on your cell phone is worth someone’s life

Makenzee Cupp

By Denee and Jess Cupp

It was March 1, 2021, and our daughter was on her way home from college, weeks away from graduating culinary school at the top of her class and ready to begin her lifetime dream. 

Our lives were immediately torn apart when a negligent driver on his phone ended her life and changed our lives forever. He never saw the flashing red lights or the stop sign when he barreled through the intersection of KS Highway 4 and U.S. Highway 283 in La Crosse, Kansas, and killed our daughter, Makenzee Kathleen Cupp, who was 19 years old.

She was known by most as Kenz or Kenzee and was a blessing to those who knew her. Kenzee’s heart was as big as Texas; that’s where she was born. She loved to cook with her daddy from the time she could walk. We opened our family restaurant in 2008 in Ness City, Kansas, and Kenz always worked in the kitchen with her dad. Her younger brother, Jay, and I ran the front. We moved to Bazine, Kansas, in 2006 to raise our kids as farm kids and teach them life skills. We loved how almost everyone waved or nodded when you passed them driving down the road. Now, we mostly only see the tops of people’s heads as we pass them, and we have to drive very defensively and hope we don’t get hit by someone looking down at their phone. 

Kenzee was the former president of Ness City High School’s Future Farmers of American (FFA) chapter and the Southwest Kansas FFA District secretary. She loved growing and raising her own food, literally farm to table. She enjoyed cooking and baking many different things, but her favorite was making sauce with her dad. She wanted the whole world to enjoy generations of goodness in this sweet and a little spicy, universal sauce. 

She sold her baked goods locally from the time she was eight and would sell out every time. She would make several batches of her famous cookies and pies to earn money to go on every one of her FFA trips, and there were A LOT of them.  Kenz was always there to volunteer to cook at the FFA community breakfast and loved feeding people.

Through God’s grace, we attempt daily to repurpose our pain into passion by carrying on Kenzee’s dream. Kenzee showed her love and compassion for people through her food. To bring her dream to life and honor Kenzee, we established MKC’s Kitchen LLC, a licensed commercial kitchen built on our family farm to create and build our daughter Makenzee’s legacy.

We create and manufacture her products for profit, but a portion of the proceeds go back to our non-profit organization, kenzeecares.org, to be able to continue to feed people through our Bless A Meal program. This program blesses others with a home-cooked meal, from our kitchen to yours. For more information about Kenzee’s story and her products, go to mkckitchen.com and kenzeecares.org to find out how she wanted to make a difference, and you can too. 

We also want to educate and bring awareness of the distraction of cell phones while driving. So many lives have been taken from families that are changed forever because someone was checking their phone.  We want to prevent this heartbreak and devastation from happening to other families. 

Nothing on your cell phone is worth someone’s life.

 Denee and Jess Cupp are Kenzee’s parents.

Pay attention and have a plan - it can save lives

 

Raul Carrillo

When my dad was teaching me how to drive at the age of 14, he always preached to me to pay attention to my surroundings and have a plan in case something goes wrong in front of me. 

My name is Raul Carrillo and for the last 25 years, I have served as a Kansas State Trooper. On the morning of February 21, 2018, I found myself following his valuable advice as I not only saved my own life, but I also saved the life of someone else.

I was patrolling northbound on I-35 near El Dorado in Butler County when I witnessed a southbound 2017 Kenworth, hauling 7,500 gallons of diesel fuel, lose control. As it slid sideways into the concrete barrier wall hard enough to break through, I swerved right onto the outside shoulder to avoid a head on collision.

Both the power unit and trailer overturned, and the power unit burst into flames. The Kenworth and trailer continued rolling over while sliding down the barrier. It finally came to rest on the driver’s side with the power unit resting on the wall and the trailer blocking both northbound lanes.

As I ran back to help the trapped driver and saw the cab on fire with the tanker on its side spilling diesel fuel, I knew it was a situation that at any moment could go from bad to worse. There were so many things going through my mind. Is this thing going to explode? Am I going to catch fire when I get to it? But the last thing I wanted was for someone to perish in a fire like that. It felt like forever before I was able to get the driver out.

Thankfully, not only did God put me in the right place at the right time, but he also gave me the courage and strength to save the truck driver’s life. The ‘what ifs’ still go through my mind. What if it didn't go this way? What really touches my heart is my family. My wife, my daughter, my son and of course, the truck driver himself.

I met the truck driver after he spent months in the hospital, and he stopped by my office to say thank you.  He was extremely grateful and told me I gave him a second chance in life.

Technical Trooper Carrillo works for the Kansas Highway Patrol in south central Kansas

Professional truck driver to ‘four wheelers’: Give us room!

 

My name is Ron and I’m a semi-truck driver from Kansas. I’m 59 years old and have been driving since my mid-20s. I just want to say that the cars and pickup trucks that we
professional drivers refer to as “four wheelers” are being operated by people who at times appear not to care about their health and safety or that of other persons using the highways.

I know there are a few bad semi drivers out there, some of whom have pulled out in front of me going 65 miles per hour – way too close. But people driving cars and pickups do that all the time at intersections. They also tend to cut off semis after passing them going 70-80 mph. They get right in front and then sometimes slow way down, even hitting the brakes. Now why would you pass me at 70 mph and then slow to 5-10 mph?

 Here’s how you “four-wheeler” folks need to behave around me and other semi drivers:

 ·      Stay off my back end and don’t tailgate. I can’t see you.

·         ·      Stay off the phone when driving, especially around semis.

·        ·      Stay off my right side. I can’t see you there, either.

 It’s all about physics, motion, mass and density. I can’t stop 80,000 pounds-plus of truck quickly. Having more tires on the highway doesn’t mean I can brake faster than a regular vehicle. And for the drivers hauling oversized loads it’s even worse. Give us room: 1 second for each 10 feet of vehicle length, and add 1 more second if you’re driving faster than 60 mph.

 

Ronald Mayes is from Eureka and has been driving semi-trucks for more than 30 years

 

Inattention causes chaotic and costly mistakes

 By Caleb Locke

There was one instance that happened a while back that has helped me realize how important it is to remove distractions while driving.

I was driving home one day after work. During this time, heavy road construction was being done to rebuild a bridge along the K-10 route. Due to the road construction, the road narrowed down to one lane going both ways.

The one lane caused traffic to slow dramatically. Therefore, I thought it would be okay to pull up the map to try to find a Papa Murphy’s so I could pick up a pizza and have a relaxing Friday night.

However, as I started to pull up the map, the traffic on the highway opened up and I was able to speed up. At this time, I should have put my phone away and focused on the road.

While I was accessing the map, I took my eyes off the road for less than three seconds. It was at this moment the whole line of cars in front of me had come close to a complete stop. But I was still going 50 miles an hour. As I saw my life flash before my eyes, I instantly dropped my phone, slammed on my brakes and prayed I would stop in time.

Unfortunately …  I did not. Instead, I barreled into the car in front of me, pushing it into another and that into another. In sum, there were four vehicles that were completely totaled in this incident.

Luckily, I was wearing my seat belt, and no one involved was seriously injured. But there were a lot of mistakes in this situation made by me. In conclusion, an extremely chaotic and costly accident could have been avoided entirely if I hadn’t allowed the phone or map to distract me. I hope everyone learns from my mistakes.

Caleb is originally from Topeka. He now teaches in Lawrence.

Annual safety blog series starts tomorrow

 Some stories share triumph about a life saved. Other stories tell about the tragedy of a life being taken. And they all illustrate why safety is so important on our roadways.

 KDOT and other transportation organizations are participating in Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day, a nationwide safety campaign. As part of those efforts, KDOT is hosting an annual traffic safety blog series where people share personal stories about significant moments in their lives, and some moments that changed their lives forever. 

As this series begins tomorrow, we have people from across Kansas sharing stories about their experiences or traffic-related events that have affected their lives. 

The purpose of these stories is to raise traffic safety awareness about the real-life consequences when crashes occur. We hope you never forget these stories and that they remind you of the importance to always practice safe driving habits. Together, we can help put the brakes on fatalities.

Highway workers keep Kansas moving

We’re wrapping up National Work Zone Awareness Week with a final video that wants you to think about the workers.

What if there weren’t highway workers patching potholes, replacing signs, fixing guard rail, mowing right of way, plowing snow throughout the winter or providing traffic control in emergency situations? These a just a few of the duties performed, sometimes day and night, by highway workers across Kansas. 

Think about these people working to improve safety on the roadways for you. Take these important work zone safety messages that have been shared this week - pay attention, slow down, follow traffic control and use extra caution – and remember them all year long.    

Click HERE for the video.       

To all of you who work alongside the highways, thank you for everything you do to construct and maintain our roadways. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. 

Close calls in work zones happen all too often

Kansas highway workers share some chilling details of close calls they have experienced in work zones in the final “In Their Boots” video series.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a rural two-lane highway or a multi-lane urban expressway – the stories shared happen all too often while highway workers are trying to do their jobs. 

Please remember there are people in these highway work zones who want to go home to their families at night. 

Click HERE for the video.         

To all of you who work alongside the highways, thank you for everything you do to construct and maintain our roadways. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

  

Playing an instrument while driving through a work zone?

“On the Road” is the second video in the series, “In Their Boots,” with Kansas highway workers talking about some careless and dangerous things they have seen motorists doing while driving in work zones.

Some of these activities will shock you. Unfortunately, most of these things don’t shock highway workers. But every once in a while, something will surprise them. Guess what musical instrument a highway worker saw a driver playing while driving through a work zone?

Find out what instrument it was and listen to some basic advice highway workers share on how motorists can improve safety. 

Click HERE for the video.           

To all of you who work alongside the highways, thank you for everything you do to construct and maintain our roadways. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

What it's like to be in their boots

Today’s video blog is the first of a three-part series titled, “In Their Boots.” This video features KDOT and KTA highway workers explaining what motorists would see, hear and feel if they were in a work zone, inches from traffic.

The highway workers also share a few basic safety tips for driving through work zones.

Click HERE for the video.  

To all of you who work alongside the highways, thank you for everything you do to construct and maintain our roadways. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.     

Striving to improve work zone safety

Making improvements to traffic control and information that helps guide drivers as they travel through a work zone, reflective clothing to make highway workers more visible and other items in work zones has been an ongoing priority for KDOT the past several years. Safety is a team effort for KDOT, KTA, contractors and others who work along the roadways.

In today’s video blog, KDOT Maintenance Bureau Chief Robert Fuller joins KDOT highway workers from across the state to highlight some of these work zone safety improvements.

Click HERE for the video.

To all of you who work alongside the highways, thank you for everything you do to construct and maintain our roadways. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

Don't drive distracted in work zones

National Work Zone Awareness Week is April 17 to 21. This important safety campaign educates the public of the need for safety in work zones for both highway workers and the traveling public.

 This year, we have a video blog series that will highlight KDOT and KTA highway workers across the state every day next week. All the videos were created by KDOT’s Multimedia Services Division.

We’re starting the series early with KDOT’s new Public Service Announcement. Inattention is the top contributing circumstance of work zone crashes. The PSA shows how dangerous distracted driving can be in a work zone. It will air on TV stations across Kansas in April and May.

Click HERE to watch the work zone safety PSA.

To all of you who work alongside the highways, thank you for everything you do to construct and maintain our roadways. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

Celebrating women who made transportation history

 

From the sea, across land, and all the way to the stars, women have made an incredible difference on our world.  March is Women’s History Month and we would like to take the time to share with you some incredible women who had a great impact on transportation.

Nellie Bly: Have you ever read the book by Jules Vern, Around the World in 80 Days? The classic adventure told the story of Phileas Fogg and his desire to circumnavigate the earth in 80 days. Elizabeth Jane Cochrane was a journalist who went by the name Nellie Bly, and she was inspired by the book. In 1889, at the age of 25, she traveled around the world — and she did it in 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes and 14 seconds. According to Biography.com she used a variety of transportation methods to achieve her lofty goal, including: ship, horse, rickshaw, sampan, burro and other vehicles.

Anne Rainford French Bush: In 1900, cars were just starting to be manufactured and there were only a handful of people who actually owned and drove them.  According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Anne Rainford French Bush was the first woman who obtained a “steam engineer’s license,” which allowed her to operate a four-wheeled vehicle powered by steam or gas.” In an article in Life Magazine from Sept. 1952, Bush said that the speed limit was nine miles an hour, and her father was pulled over for going 12 miles an hour in his convertible.

Alice Huyler Ramsey: In 1909, 22 year-old Alice Huyler Ramsey, drover her way into history as the first woman to drive coast to coast across the United States. According the Smithsonian Magazine, her 3,800 journey from New York to California took 59 days to complete. In those days, there was no GPS and the majority of America’s roads were not fit for long distance travel. Ramsey relied on the Blue Book travel guides with directions that weren’t always accurate. Ramsey and her three women passengers had to conquer many obstacles, including car trouble, inclement weather, and the fact that there were no directions west of the Mississippi River. Ramsey would eventually be the founder of the Women’s Motoring Club.

Olive Dennis: According to TransportationHistory.org, In 1920, Dennis was hired by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad to work as a bridge designer in the engineering department. Later, her role changed to a service engineer where she was responsible for engineering upgrades that would make train rides more comfortable. Dennis invented reclining seats, stain resistant upholstery, adjustable ceiling lights that could be dimmed in the passenger cars. Arguably her greatest invention was the window vents that brought in fresh air, but kept the dust out and air conditioning that was used aboard the trains and also implemented in planes and busses. Dennis said, “No matter how successful a business may seem to be, it can gain even greater success if it gives consideration to the women’s viewpoint.” She was also the first female member of the American Railway Engineering Association.

Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) During World War II, the army was desperate for pilots to deliver newly built training aircraft to flight schools. Twenty-eight women pilots volunteered to take job of ferrying these aircraft. For the next two years, 1,074 more women volunteered and they were trained to ferry, tow gunnery targets, transport equipment and personnel, and test aircraft that had been repaired. 

According to waspmusem.org, the WASP served at 120 different bases around the country and carried out a variety of aviation-related positions. The WASP asked Walt Disney if they could use a female gremlin character, called Fifinella, from an unaired cartoon as their mascot.

Although It took another 37 years before they were granted military status, these women played an important role in WWII.

“These 1,102 Women Airforce Service Pilots flew wingtip to wingtip with their male counterparts,” the site said. “And they were just as vital to war effort.”

Rosie the Riveter:  This famous icon represents all the women who went to work as the men were fighting in World War II. Rosie the Riveter was a campaign geared toward recruiting workers for defense industries. By the end of the war, one out four women worked outside the home.

The aviation industry saw the most women workers. According to history.com, 310,000 women went to work in the U.S. aircraft industry.

Rosie the Riveter is slightly based on a real-life munitions worker, and she stressed the patriotic need for women to continue working. The term is also based on a song of the same name.  The most popular illustration of Rosie was created by artist Jay Howard Miller in 1942. Norman Rockwell also created his own Rosie in 1943.

Rosie the Riveter continues to be an inspirational icon for women across the world.

Janet Guthrie: Ever since auto racing got its start, it has been a predominantly male sport. But in the early 1970's a woman with a degree in physics by the name of Janet Guthrie wanted to change that. In 1976, she became the first woman to compete in a NASCAR race, and in the following year she became the first female driver to start in the Daytona 500. She won Top Rookie honors because of her 12^thplace finish in NASCAR’s biggest race. Later that year she qualified for the Indy 500. Although her racing career never saw her in victory lane, she paved the way for countless female race car drivers. In 2005 she was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.

Sally Ride: Nasa was formed in 1958, and it would be another 25 years before an American woman would blast off into Earth’s Orbit. Sally Ride, was born on May 26, 1951. Ride received her doctorate in physics in 1978. After she completed her studies, she applied to become an astronaut for NASA and was selected, she began spacing training that same year. On June 18, 1983, Ride took her first space flight on the Challenger. She returned to space in 1984 and continued to work for NASA until 1987 and began teaching at the University of California in San Diego to help women and young girls study science and math. She was added to the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2003.

Mae C. Jemison Nine years after Ride took her first spaceflight, Mae C. Jemison became the first African-American woman in space. Jemison was born on Oct. 17, 1956. She studied chemical engineering. According to Biography.com, Jemison also received her M.D., and worked as a medical officer for the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone and Liberia. In 1985, she returned to the United States and followed her dream to become an astronaut for NASA. In 1987, she was chosen and after five years of working for NASA, she boarded Space Shuttle Endeavor and blasted off on Sept. 12, 1992. She spent eight days in space and conducted experiments on weightlessness and motion sickness on the crew and herself.

The Zero Milestone Marker and a journey across country: Eisenhower’s interstate inspiration

 Today is President’s Day. Thanks to Kansas native President Dwight D. Eisenhower, we have a lot to be proud of when it comes to our state’s interstate systems.

34th U.S. President, Dwight D. Eisenhower

In June 1956, Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act and on Nov. 14 of that same year, Kansas opened the first section of interstate in the U.S., just west of Topeka. 

All great ideas need inspiration. Eisenhower’s came when, as a young Lieutenant Colonel, he joined a 1919 military cross-country convoy. The journey began after a dedication of a temporary monument in Washington, D.C.: The Zero Milestone Marker, a designated point where the U.S. road system begins.

The Zero Milestone Marker soon after its dedication in 1923.

Photo source: FHWA.dot.gov

The U.S. Army dispatched a military convoy of 60 trucks and more than 200 men to cross the country. Accounts from the time show the convoy had to deal with vehicles stuck in mud and experiencing failing infrastructure across the route.

After two months and 3,200 miles, the convoy pulled into San Francisco. In a formal report of the trip, Eisenhower said the trip had been difficult: “Extended trips by trucks through the middle western part of the United States are impracticable until roads are improved and then only a light truck should be used on long hauls.”

 

During the 1919 transcontinental convoy, west of Grand Island, Nebraska, soldiers use a winch to pull a Class B truck out of a ditch. Lt. Col. P. V. Kieffer surveys the scene. Source: Eisenhower Library

While it would be another 37 years before Eisenhower could become the founder of the interstate system, he cited this journey – and seeing in person the German Autobahn – as inspiration for improving the nation’s roads.

“…after seeing the autobahns of modern Germany and knowing the asset those highways were to the Germans, I decided, as President, to put an emphasis on this kind of road building,” Eisenhower said. “When we finally secured the necessary congressional approval, we started the 41,000 miles of super highways that are already proving their worth. This was one of the things that I felt deeply about, and I made a personal and absolute decision to see that the nation would benefit by it. The old convoy had started me thinking about good, two-lane highways, but Germany had made me see the wisdom of broader ribbons across the land.” (Reprinted from Federal Highway Administration publication.)

Officially dedicated in 1923, the Zero Milestone Marker now stands on the South Lawn of the White House. While roads don’t all begin and end in Washington, D.C., as the small monument suggests, the reason behind its creation rings true today: America’s road systems connect us and we all depend on quality infrastructure to thrive. Kansas’ own Dwight D. Eisenhower helped make it happen. 

The Zero Milestone Marker stands on the South Lawn of the White House.