Drinking and driving unwise game plan

Football fans across the country prepare for America’s most watched sporting event, Super Bowl LI on Sunday.  Many of them will choose to celebrate with a few alcoholic beverages.

This year, The Kansas Department of Transportation has a message for this year’s Super Bowl Sunday: Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.

“The Super Bowl is its own holiday,” said Chris Bortz, KDOT Traffic Safety Manager, in the agency’s press release. “Designate before you celebrate. Don’t let a day of fun turn into a DUI or worse.”

KDOT and The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are teaming up to provide you with a solid game plan to ensure a safe and fun viewing party without any  fumbles.

If you plan to drink:

Don’t drive. Before you ever leave the house, designate someone who will not be drinking and who can drive you home.  Have a backup plan in case they drop the ball. Call your local cab or transportation company, ridesharing service, or a friend who you can count on. Leave your car keys at home.

If you plan to drive:

You are basically the quarterback. Your teammates are relying on you to make good choices. Don’t drink and get your buddies home safely. Don’t forget to remind your passengers to buckle up and listen to your own advice.

Be on the lookout for other people who may not have a ride. Fans don’t let fans drive drink.

If you are hosting your own party:

You are the coach of the team! You want your friends to have fun while watching the big game? Designate your own sober driver to help ensure your guests get home. Or ask your guests if they have one of their own.

Serve a selection of drinks that don’t contain alcohol. Never serve alcohol to minors. If an underage person drinks or drives, the person who served the alcohol can be held liable for any damage, injury, or death caused by that driver. You could even face jail time.

Encourage those that do consume alcohol to eat plenty of food and drink water.

Know the risks:

Just as football players realize that the sport they play can be dangerous, you should know the risks if you decide to drink. Impaired driving is dangerous and the consequences are serious. Don’t become another statistic.

Remember:

You drink you drive you lose.

New weather satellite, GOES-16 provides potential for improved forecasts

There’s a saying that goes like this:

“Are you unhappy with the way the weather is in Kansas? Just wait five minutes and it will change.”

While that may not be true, there are times when we have all felt frustrated by inaccurate weather forecasts.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and NASA are trying to improve our current ability to forecast the weather with the new GOES-16 weather satellite which launched in November 2016.

Less than two months after its launch, the GOES-16 satellite has already sent back images that are out of this world.

According to NOAA’s image gallery, these images, a snapshot of earth on January 15 were taken at the same time. The image on the left is a color-composite full disk image from the GOES-16 satellite. It has five-times greater cover, four times the spatial resolution and three-times the spectral channels than the earlier generation, GOES-13, shown on the right.

The image on the right cannot produce the same “true color” effect without the inclusion of more data, according to the NOAA image gallery.

The website also said that the new GOES-16 technology can provide a full-disk image of the earth every 15 minutes and one of the continental U.S every 5 minutes.

“(The GOES-16) has the ability to target regional areas where severe weather, hurricanes, wildfires, volcanic eruptions or other high-impact environmental phenomena are occurring as often as every 30 seconds.” The website said.

The GOES-16’s photo was taken about 22,300 miles high. North America, South America and the west coast of Africa are in view. This image was captured during the big ice storm that affected parts of Kansas.

While the GOES-16 is still in its testing phase for several months, it has given meteorologists a positive forecast when it comes to predicting weather. More accurate predictions also mean that KDOT crews can treat roads more effectively.

Want more information on the GOES-16? Check out the NOAA image gallery:

https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/content/goes-16-image-gallery

Give them room: Roadside crashes are preventable

The lights are flashing and the sirens are wailing. Whether it’s an emergency vehicle, law enforcement car or a KDOT employee, your response should always be the same. Move over and give them room.

Earlier this week, two crashes involving Kansas Highway Patrol vehicles and officers occurred on two different days and in two different areas.  Both incidents required temporary road closures for clean-up and investigations.

“Anytime one of these events occurs it hits home pretty hard,” Stephen La Row, a KHP Technical Trooper, said. “It’s an eye opening experience for everyone involved and for anyone that works on the side of the road for that matter.”

La Row said that while these crashes are not an uncommon occurrence, they can be prevented.

“What (motorists) should be doing is paying attention to the task at hand,” La Row said.
“And that should be driving.  We can minimize our distractions such as cell phones and other electronic devices that are needless when driving a car.” 

Steve Baalman, a KDOT Area Four Engineer in Topeka, said that because of our connected society and the need for some people to use their cell phones at all times has made it noticeably scarier in work zones.

“We too often see folks with their faces buried in their cell phones,” Baalman said. “Obviously with the texting, it’s very spooky for us and it’s very unsafe.”

Both KHP and KDOT have experienced tragedy when workers were killed when working along the highways.

“The last trooper killed in the line of duty was doing a roadside inspection,” La Row said.

 “We are looking out for all our roadside workers. We all want to do our jobs and we want to do them safely. We want to be able to go home.”

“My goal is that all of the employees who work with me and work for me go home at the end of the day.” Baalman said. “I did lose one of my employees last year on U.S.  24. And although it wasn’t  work-related, it still hurt. It wasn’t the first time. I lost one of our EO Specialists on an accident on K-10. And both incidents were caused by inattentive cross over accidents. It hurts.  Every time I drive over certain sections of K-10, I remember that one of my guys lost his life there and so did his wife and baby daughter; on Father’s Day no less.”

Baalman said that despite the risks, working along the highways is worth it.

“The work keeps us coming back,” Baalman said. “I presume most folks are like me. We like the work, the service and the sense of accomplishment.  It makes it worthwhile for those folks who are driving it every day.”

Kansas enacted the Move Over Law in 2006.

“The fines are very steep as well they should be,” La Row said. “The law states that you have to move over and if traffic doesn’t allow you to, then the minimum you should do is slow down. That just keeps all our roadside workers safe.”

#IAMKDOT: Traci Ward

This month's #IAMKDOT feature is Traci Ward. 

Ward has worked for the state of Kansas for more than 20 years and is the Kansas Department of Transportation's Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Officer and ADA Coordinator.

As an EEO Officer, Ward helps inform KDOT employees across the state of their rights and who to contact if a need to file a grievance should arise. Ward's goal at KDOT is to ensure that respect and diversity are upheld in the workplace. She also helps educate and empower people to do their best work. 

When Ward is not in the office or traveling across the state, she is an author and a motivational speaker. She is also a mother and a nana.

#IAMKDOT is an illustration project that recognizes KDOT employees who work hard to ensure Kansans enjoy safe roads, rails and skies. Safe and successful transportation also helps Kansans financially. Some employees of KDOT fill dangerous but necessary positions and this project also serves as a reminder for travelers to slow down and remember that underneath those neon vests, are individuals with families and hobbies waiting for them at home.

Do you know a KDOT worker that deserves recognition? Nominations are open! Email Mallory.Goeke@ks.gov today to get started! 

KABOOM: Building implosion closes I-435 early Sunday

The Van Trust Building as it crumbles after a scheduled implosion on Sunday morning.

Citizens in Overland Park may have been awoken to the sound of the 10-story Van Trust building implosion early Sunday morning. Eastbound and Westbound I-435 were fully closed for a short time during the implosion to ensure safety of the residents and travelers. 

According to the press release, this building was demolished to make way for a new office campus. 

Want to see the implosion ? Check out this video!

Is it a car or a bike? The answer is both

Move over, Fred Flinstone, moving your car with just your feet is so prehistoric. Why not use pedals instead?

As more and more people are trying to find alternative fuel and ways to get around, an interesting type of vehicle is starting to emerge onto our streets: The car and bike hybrid.

These vehicles come in a variety of shapes and designs. Some are fueled by the sun to run small motors to continue running when pedaling isn’t an option. A few models have batteries that can be recharged in a matter of hours. Early prototypes of other start up companies claim their version of a car/bike hybrid can also run on plants.

At their core however, these vehicles truly run on pedal power and could change how we get around in the near future. And for those who live in countries where vehicles aren’t accessible, this type of transportation could really make difference. Most of these vehicles are covered and protect the driver from the elements.

Check out these videos of some of these hybrids in action:

Do you see these vehicles taking off? Tell us what you think!  

SAFE students visit Capitol

Over 100 high school students visit with the legislators at the Capitol during the SAFE Day at the Capitol.

Around 100 Kansas students visited with legislators in Topeka yesterday for the SAFE (Seatbelts Are For Everyone) Day at the Capitol event.

Students met with state representatives and shared how their local SAFE program has benefited their communities.

According to the organization's website, SAFE is peer-to-peer program located in 142 schools across 62 counties in Kansas. Students educate their peers and classmates on traffic safety issues like distracted driving and impaired driving. They also encourage each other to buckle up every trip, every time. 

In the nine years since the program was implemented, the seatbelt rate for teens 15-17 has increased 25 percent. Today, 86 percent of teens are using their seatbelts. 

For more information on the SAFE program check out their website:
www.ktsro.org/safe