Don’t ruin the holidays by being a “pedtextrian"

The hustle and bustle of the holidays are upon us, and with just a week until Christmas is about to get even more distracting. Visiting shopping centers, attending parties, discussing holiday gifts with loved ones and even online shopping are a huge part of the season. During this festive time of year, we need to remember one thing – stay alert while traveling.

Whether you text or drive, or text and walk at the same time, both activities are dangerous. The National Safety Council said that distracted walking incidents are on the rise and everyone with a cell phone is at risk of serious injury if they don’t pay attention while walking.

In 2016, 5,987 pedestrians were killed in the United States.  A contributing factor for this rise in fatalities is not paying attention to our surroundings. This is putting our safety, and the safety of others, at risk.

The solution is simple: Stop using phones while walking, even if you aren’t at a crosswalk or intersection. Distracted walking incidents can happen virtually anywhere, even in our own homes or familiar places.

An added hazard to texting while walking is sidewalks that are covered in ice.

Both the NSC and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have some great tips to help walk safer and smarter:

• Don’t use your phone or smart device while walking.  If you aren’t paying attention, you may as well be walking blindfolded.
• Pay attention to vehicles: look left, then right, and then left again. Vehicles can travel large distances in a short timeframe. Never assume that you can beat a moving automobile.
• Be bright. Wear light colored clothing.
• Don’t wear headphones while walking. Like texting and walking, when we wear headphones we are sacrificing a crucial sense: our hearing.  The ability to hear an approaching vehicle can be an important warning sign that traffic is coming toward you.
• Never rely on a driver to stop, make sure they can see you. A great way to do this is to make eye contact with them. If you aren’t sure they have spotted you, don’t cross until it is safe.
• If your vision is blocked by another car or object, move to a safer location before crossing.
• Use crosswalks.
• Walk in groups.
• Never allow children younger than 10 to cross the street alone.

The holidays can be a wonderful time of year for many, and although our minds may be filled with presents, holiday treats, family and candy canes; if we use these tips the holidays could be jollier for everyone.

Holiday season is filled with many choices, make sure yours is to drive sober

We are surrounded by choices every day, and this time of year is no different. Do we get Sally an engineering kit or the Wonder Woman action figure she always wanted? Does Billy get a Transformers toy, or a tool kit? The results can make happy memories that we can cherish throughout the year. Another choice people face is whether to get behind the wheel after drinking, which can create devastating memories.  

This holiday season The Kansas Department of Transportation is teaming up with the state and local law enforcement officers and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to remind all drivers about the dangers of drinking and driving. We’ll be working together to remind everyone of the importance of planning a sober ride home before heading out to enjoy the holiday festivities and en route to seasonal travel destinations. This holiday season, and every day, remember: Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.

According to NHTSA, 37,133 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2017, and 29% (10,874) of those fatalities occurred in crashes during which a driver had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over the legal limit of .08. In fact, 885 people lost their lives in traffic crashes involving a drunk driver during the month of December 2017 alone. The holidays prove to be extra dangerous to drivers, as more people — drivers and pedestrians alike — are out on the roads.

In Kansas, around 400 lives are lost each year in traffic crashes, which is more than one per day.

“Of these 400 fatalities, about 1 in 4 are the result of an impaired driver,” Julie Lorenz, Kansas Secretary of Transportation said. “That equates to about 100 persons losing their lives on Kansas roads due to an impaired driver. Beyond the tragic loss of more than 100 people each year, we must consider the countless other lives impacted by this preventable action. These fatalities have a ripple effect, impacting family, friends, coworkers and loved ones.”

Drunk driving isn’t the only risk on the road: Drug-impaired driving is an increasing problem, for men and for women alike. If drivers are impaired by any substance — alcohol or other drugs — they should not get behind the wheel of a vehicle. It is illegal in all states to drive impaired by alcohol or drugs. Remember: Driving while impaired is illegal, period. The bottom line is this: If You Feel Different, You Drive Different. It’s that simple.

Drinking and driving should never be combined. It’s essential to plan a sober ride in advance if the holiday celebration will include alcohol. The alternative could change your life, not to mention the lives of your passengers, of pedestrians, or of other drivers and passengers nearby.

This holiday season, KDOT, local law enforcement and NHTSA urge drivers to designate a sober driver before heading out for the evening. If you plan on drinking, plan on not driving.

Party with a Plan

First and foremost: Plan ahead. Be honest with yourself: You know whether you’ll be drinking. If you plan to drink, plan for a sober driver to take you home. Is it your turn to be the designated driver? Take that role seriously — your friends are relying on you.

• Remember that it is never okay to drink and drive. Even if you’ve had only one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver or plan to use public transportation or a ride service to get home safely.
• If available, use your community’s sober ride program
• If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact your local law enforcement.
• Have a friend who is about to drink and drive? Take the keys away and make arrangements to get your friend home safely.

“The decision to drive impaired is a choice and the wrong choice can be a fatal result,” Lorenz said.  “Wear a seat belt, buckle up every time, so you can get home to your family and friends.
The celebrations and the love and warmth is waiting there for you.”

Cyclists to give back this weekend in Topeka

‘Tis the season of giving! This year marks the 7th annual Cranksgiving in Topeka. What is 

Cranksgiving? It’s the perfect combination of a fun bike ride and a charitable food drive, and it isn’t just a Topeka thing.

Every year cities across the U.S. host their own version of a Cranksgiving event, helping to stock pantries and provide other much needed supplies for their communities. In 2018, more than 150 cities participated in Cranksgiving to support local food banks, helping to feed thousands of families.

While the overall purpose of Cranksgiving is the same in each city, the individual events take on their own identities.

In Topeka, participants can compete in a race against the clock to pick up as many grocery items that will fit on their bike or they can take part in a non-competitive, family-friendly, slow-paced group ride called “The Haul” for a one-stop shop to purchase grocery items with donated funds. In the last three years, Topeka’s Cranksgiving participants have continued to increase the amount of food collected by bike:

2016 - 310 pounds

2017 - 540 pounds

2018 - 720 pounds

 

Come support Topeka and help reach a new record weight! This year’s Cranksgiving event is on Sunday, Nov. 17 at The Burger Stand at College Hill. Registration begins at 12:30 p.m. and race will begin at 1pm. For more details, and ways you can get involved, visit: https://biketopeka.com/2019/10/31/cranksgiving-topeka-sunday-nov-17th/

Topeka’s Cranksgiving is brought to you by Topeka Community Cycle Project and The Burger Stand at College Hill. All donations will be used to support the Doorstep Topeka: Topeka’s Home for Hope.

Happy Holidays from KDOT

KDOT wants to wish all of you a safe and happy holiday season! 

Cranksgiving collects food for those in need

Earlier this month more than 20 bicyclists gathered to participate in Topeka's Cranksgiving event. 
Courtesy photo: Bike Topeka

The majority of holiday books, songs and movies have one message: It is better to give than to receive. Donating food to those in need is a great way to spread goodwill to others, especially during the holiday season.

That is just what happened recently in Kansas’ capital city. Last week in Topeka, more than 20 bicyclists of all ages took to the streets to spread holiday cheer. The cyclists collected more than 500 pounds of food during the city’s 5th Annual Cranksgiving.

More than 500 pounds of food was gathered during the
Cranksgiving event. Courtesy photo: Bike Topeka
 

Karl Fundenberger, an Cranksgiving event organizer for Topeka, said that the event is designed to be a Thanksgiving food drive powered by bicycles.

“It happens in communities all over the U.S.,” Fundenberger said. “All food was donated to the pantry at the Center for Safety and Empowerment at the YWCA of Northeast Kansas.”

Fundenberger said that the event is a perfect combination of recreation and transportation.

“It requires navigational skills, cargo-carrying skills, and quick thinking – and it shows riders how capable they are on just two wheels,”
Fundenberger said. “It also demonstrates to the community how effective bikes can be for transport of people and cargo and how important it is to provide bicycle facilities as a part of the transportation network.”

Andy Fry, another event organizer, said that Cranksgiving has another reason for existing.

“For participants, Cranksgiving also helps identify challenges in a population’s ability to find food in a human-powered perimeter and food desserts or a lack of food distribution points or resources in a community,” Fry said.

Fundenberger said that riders had 90 minutes to collect food items from eight different categories. To visit more stores, participants were only allowed to pick up two items per location. If they hoped to complete the list and win, they would need to visit four different stores.

A group ride and shopping trip, dubbed, “The Haul” took place simultaneously to the Cranksgiving event. The group rode together to local grocery stores and to some nearby donors’ homes to pick up more items.

“Some of the riders and teams in the competition were sponsored by friends and family, and The Haul ride was totally sponsored by donors,” Fundenberger said.  “Beyond cash sponsorship for groceries, prize sponsorships came from PT’s Coffee, Jerry’s Bike Shop, Capp’s Bike Shop, Kaw Valley Bicycle Club, Hazel Hill Chocolate, and others.”

Want to get involved next year? Contact any of the host organizations or send an inquiry to info@biketopeka.com or like the Bike Topeka page on Facebook.

For more information on how you can participate in Cranksgiving in your community, check out www.cranksgiving.com