Trick or treat safety tips

This evening, candy will flow and trick-or-treaters across the country will take to the streets to collect the sugary goodness. Here are some safety tips to ensure everyone has a frightfully good time.

Drivers:

• Turn on your headlights to improve visibility - Even in the day time.
• Watch for trick-or-treaters on curbs, streets and medians. They could be wearing darker costumes so keep your eyes peeled.
• Slow down in residential areas.  Give yourself extra time to react should a trick-or-treater dash into the road.
• Be sure to scan both sides of the street as you drive. Be prepared  to stop for trick-or-treaters.

Trick or Treaters:

 If you are young at heart and will be taking to the streets to collect some goodies, there are a few things you need to know:

• Let your parents or guardians know where you will be going. Create a route and stick to it. 
• Follow safety rules, and look both ways before crossing the streets. Don’t cross between vehicles.
• Trick or treat in a group. It can be more entertaining and safer. Younger children should be with a responsible adult or youth.
• Be bright at night - ensure that that your costume can be seen by drivers. Enhance your costumes with reflective tape or glow sticks.
• You should be able to see without difficulty. Don’t wear bulky masks or head gear. Consider using non-toxic face make up or paint.
• Carry a flashlight inside your Halloween bucket or bag so you can see where you are going. DON’T shine it into the eyes of drivers.
• Stay on sidewalks - if you must walk in the street, walk on the left side, facing traffic.

Have a safe and happy Halloween! 

Don't lose your head this Halloween

 

Monsters, ghouls and witches will be celebrating this Halloween weekend and KDOT wants to remind all creatures of the night that driving under the influence can have deadly consequences. 

On Halloween night between 2009 and 2013, 119 people were killed by drunk drivers and 43 percent of all motor vehicle deaths involved drunk driving.

In America, anyone driving with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 grams per deciliter or higher is considered a drunk driver.

You can have a howling good time and stay safe if you follow these tips:

• Before you begin drinking, make a plan to get home safely. Studies have shown alcohol makes it harder to judge situations. You may not be able to make wise decisions later in the night.
• Make sure you have a designated driver, public transportation or a sober friend or relative to you get home safely.
• Even if you have only had a few drinks, it is still unsafe to drive.
• If your community has a sober ride program, use it.
• Contact your local law enforcement if you spot an impaired driver on the road.
• If you see someone who is thinking about driving impaired, take their keys and offer to help them find a safe way home.
• If you think you can walk home while drunk, think again. It can be just as dangerous as if you were driving. If you must walk home, ask someone you trust to walk with you.

Oh Deer: A love story about improving driving safety

Although this story has a light-hearted feel. Deer crashes are expected to be on the rise this year and should be taken seriously.  Check out more safety tips here.

Governor Sam Brownback appoints Richard Carlson as KDOT Secretary

Topeka – Governor Sam Brownback today named Richard Carlson Acting Secretary of the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) and Director of the Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA). Carlson has served as Interim Secretary of KDOT since July 15.

Carlson served in the Kansas House of Representatives for 10 years beginning in 2004, representing the 61^st District of Pottawatomie County and northern Wabaunsee County. He was the Chairman of the House Taxation Committee for six years and served on the Appropriations Committee and Commerce and Labor Committee. Most recently Carlson was the legislative liaison for the Kansas Department of Revenue.

“Richard Carlson brings both experience and a deep understanding of Kansas and its citizens to this position,” said Governor Brownback. “I appreciate his commitment to serving the state and know that he will be a strong and positive leader for KDOT.”

"I appreciate Governor Brownback's confidence in my management abilities,” Carlson said. “I look forward continuing to oversee our outstanding Kansas transportation system, recognized as one of the best in the nation."

This appointment will require confirmation by the Kansas State Senate.

Scare factor encourages pedestrians to pay attention

‘Tis the season for all things scary. With Halloween just a week away, Pittsburgh Penn., is taking advantage of this spooky time of year to encourage safety.

Because of the rise of smart phone usage, pedestrians are paying less attention when crossing the streets and are focusing on the next tweet, text message or even the next big video game.

In an article published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that improvisational actors dressed as zombies or the Grim Reaper are stopping people who are paying attention to their phones while crossing busy streets and reminding them to look up using the catch phrase, “Look Alive.”

In the video below, The Grim Reaper heckles pedestrians, with phrases like, “If you text, you are next!”

A geofencing app is also being used that sends alerts to pedestrians when they are using their phones at busy intersections.

Crossing busy streets doesn’t have to be scary, but with pedestrian/car incidents on the rise, this is a message that should be taken seriously all year round. 

Check out the video below and let us know your thoughts on this campaign! Could you see something like this coming to Kansas? Do you feel it would make a difference on reminding pedestrians to pay attention?

Five reminders for National Teen Driver Safety Week

Studies show that the leading cause of death for teen drivers between the ages of 15-19 is motor vehicle crashes. In 2014, there were 2,679 teen drivers involved in fatal crashes and approximately 123,000 teens were injured in crashes in the U.S.

In an effort to raise awareness about five very real driving dangers, KDOT is participating in National Teen Driver Safety Week and would like to remind teen drivers of a few things:

        

Your car is not a phone booth: You aren’t superman, but you can be a hero if you don’t use your cellphone while driving. 

     Your car is not a clown car: There are a lot of crazy clowns running around. Too many passengers in your car can lead to distracted driving.

  

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        Your car is not a race car:  Race cars belong on the race track, not on city streets. Driving at safe speeds can reduce car crashes. 

    Your car is not a bar:  Don't drink and drive. Alcohol leads to impaired driving and even death.

Your car is not invincible. Car crashes happen, and wearing your seat belt is one of the safest ways you can survive should you find yourself in a crash. 

If teens as well as all drivers follow these reminders, traffic fatalities and car crashes would be greatly reduced.

Sharing the road with farm equipment

Fall is in the air and that means it is planting and harvesting time for area farmers.  Farming vehicles may be on the roads more this time of year and KDOT would like to remind travelers to travel safely around these important pieces of equipment.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, most farm equipment cannot travel at highway speeds and they typically do not exceed 15-25 mph.

Kansans know this scene all too well: The route to and from work may require traveling on smaller state highways or roads and drivers may encounter a large tractor, combine or other farm equipment. 

Perhaps drivers grow frustrated with the situation and just wish it would get out of the way so they can get home.  Unfortunately, the road is curved and hilly. Passing this giant, slow-moving vehicle is unsafe.  

According to transportation laws as long as slow-moving vehicles have the orange triangle signage, they have just as much right to that road as vehicles that can go at a faster speed. 

Farming Equipment is often much larger and wider than other vehicles and the lanes of traffic. When driving around these slow-moving vehicles extra caution should be practiced.

Here are some tips from the KHP for sharing the road with farmers:

• Don’t assume the farmer knows you’re there. Most operators of farm equipment regularly check for vehicles behind them, however, most of their time must be spent looking ahead to stay on the road and watch for oncoming traffic. Implements are very loud, hindering the farmer’s ability to hear your vehicle. 
• Pass with extreme caution.  Don’t pass unless you can see clearly ahead of both your vehicle and the farm equipment you are passing. If there are curves or hills blocking your view of oncoming traffic, wait until you can clearly visualize the area you’re passing in. You should not pass in a designated “No Passing Zone,” even if you are stuck behind a farm vehicle. Do not pass if you are within 100 feet of any intersection, railroad grade crossing, bridge, elevated structure, or tunnel.
• When a farm vehicle pulls to the right side of the road, it does not mean it is turning right or allowing you to pass. Due to the size of some farm equipment, the farmer must execute wide left turns, so allow it plenty of room and time to turn, and be alert to see if there might be a driveway or field they may be turning into.
• Be patient. Don’t assume that a farmer can move aside to let you pass. Shoulders may be soft, wet, or steep, which can cause the farm vehicle to tip, or the shoulder may not support the weight of a heavy farm vehicle. The farmer understands you are being delayed and will move over at the first safe location available.
• Think of the slow moving vehicle emblem as a warning to adjust your speed. When you see the slow moving vehicle emblem, you should immediately slow down. While the emblems are visible from a long distance away, it is often difficult to judge the speed at which you are closing in on a vehicle, especially at night. 
• Pay attention.  When you are not focused solely on the road, you increase your chances of a collision, especially if you should come upon a slow moving farm vehicle.

Check out this video for more information on how to share the road with other large, slow-moving vehicles safely.