Dodge City EMT shares his own traffic crash experience

Dodge City EMT Terry Webb spent more than 30 years responding to emergencies and vehicle crashes, but nothing prepares you for when it’s your turn as he explains in today’s Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day safety blog.  Click here to read it.

Put the Brakes on Fatalities blog series begins today

The Father of Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day, KDOT’s own Larry Emig, retired Chief of Local Projects, will kick off the 20-day Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day safety blog series today – check out his blog here.

Futuristic Friday: Robocars

California will allow automakers to begin testing self-driving cars on public roads on Tuesday.  Don't start your engines just yet though, robots. There are a few things that have to be done first.

The law requires companies to register with the state before they can test their cars, including identifying the specific make, model, model year, vehicle identification number, and license plate number of each vehicle to be tested.

Every car must have a driver sitting in the driver's seat during testing, who can take over control of the vehicle should something go wrong. Only drivers who have been identified to the DMV in writing can operate the cars, and those drivers must have clean driving records and have completed a training program established by the manufacturer.

Once those requirements are met, companies must pay the $150 license fee and secure a $5 million insurance policy.  You can read all the rules here.

Google has been one of the pioneers when it comes to self-driving cars.  If you want to learn more about how these cars are programmed to handle things like construction on city streets, check out the video below.

Throwback Thursday

We're going back to Sept. 11, 2011 for today's TBT.  KDOT was presented a flag by former Kansas Adjutant General Tod bunting, which was flown by the Kansas National Guard during a deployment to Iraq.  The flag was given as a gift for the strong partnership between KDOT and the Guard. 

Three years ago on this day, a small ceremony was a held and that flag flew over the agency's headquarters, the Eisenhower State Office Building, for the day. The flag was then placed on display in the lobby for people to view.  We want to express our immense gratitude for all those who serve in our armed forces.  Thank you for your service.

Wednesday's Words

“When this road opens you’re going to have a wider paved road that is safe and comfortable for you and your families,” said Kansas Transportation Secretary Mike King.


Secretary Mike King and elected officials participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the $14.5 million project Monday in Hoxie. Joining Secretary King was State Sen. Ralph Ostmeyer, Rep. Don Hineman, Sheridan County Commissioner Doyle Kauk and Kip Spray, whose Venture Inc., construction company of Great Bend did the reconstruction work.


The project that improved 19 miles of K-23 north of Hoxie will be open to traffic within the next two weeks. 


The six-month project included the removal of old pavement, rebuilding the road base and paving.  The work widened the road by four feet. 

Tuesday's Trivia

How many pedestrian traffic fatalities have occurred in the last five years in the United States?

A. 5,500
B. 17,000
C. 22,000
D. 44,000

The correct answer is 22,000.  Click here to see a map of all of the fatalities.

As you may recall, pedestrian fatalities were higher mid-way through 2014 than they were last year in Kansas.  Safety officials haven't been able to pinpoint an exact reason for the increase this year.  We would like to advise pedestrians and motorists to be aware of each other and use caution when traveling in busy neighborhoods.