ADOT installs signs for daytime headlight use along SR 169 to increase safety

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has installed six signs telling drivers to use their headlights during the daytime on State Route 169 to increase visibility and safety along the highway.

The signs were placed along the entire highway corridor between the junction with SR 69 in Dewey-Humboldt and the junction with Interstate 17 north of Cordes Junction. Drivers on SR 169 are required to turn their headlights on during daylight hours.

“Having headlights on really increases visibility, even during the daytime,” said Bob LaJeunesse, regional traffic engineer for ADOT’s Northwest District. “We want to reduce the number of head-on collisions along this two-lane highway. Increasing visibility through headlight usage can help keep drivers safer.”

According to crash statistics, SR 169 has seen eight head-on crashes over the last five years. Five of those were fatal.

With the signs up along the corridor, law enforcement has the ability to issue citations to drivers who do not have their headlights on.

The only other corridor in Arizona where daytime headlight signs are located is along SR 89 between Chino Valley and I-40. Those signs were put up about two years ago.