Since June 27-July 3 is “National Tire Safety Awareness Week,” an annual event sponsored by the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA), we thought ADOT could offer up some safety advice related to keeping an eye out for what many of us see out along our Arizona highways: pieces of tire debris.

Those shreds of treads have gained the nickname “gators” over the decades because many of them look like an alligator's back floating on the water’s surface. While alligators are primarily limited to zoos in the Grand Canyon State, there are plenty of “gators” waiting for unsuspecting, or for that matter even suspecting, drivers along the state’s network of highways.

ADOT gets plenty of help from the Arizona Department of Public Safety and its troopers in responding to tire treads and also reminding drivers to stay alert to tire pieces and other debris that can wind up on highways. And without a doubt, there are things all of us as motorists can do to help reduce the risk of tire blowouts and the creation of Arizona gators.

Obviously, hotter summer weather can lead to more tire failures and debris, but it’s a year-round challenge. AZDPS troopers are kept busy tossing tire gators to a highway’s shoulder, possibly as they’re conducting traffic breaks (temporary stops of traffic) in order to clear debris. 

ADOT’s team of Incident Response Unit, sponsored by State Farm, members and maintenance crews also respond to calls about debris. However, it’s impossible to catch everything immediately along more than 6,500 miles of state highways. 

“We’re obviously very familiar with gators,” said Raul Amavisca, ADOT’s Central District engineering administrator. “We need all drivers to pay attention, keep their eyes on the road and be prepared for debris at any time. If you do that, you’ll increase your chances of being able to maneuver and avoid a tire tread and the damage it can cause.” 

ADOT crews do spot pickups of roadside shoulder debris along busy Phoenix-area freeways throughout the year. The agency’s freeway shoulder sweeping contractors also maintain weekly schedules for collecting larger debris items along those shoulders in advance of their overnight street sweeping work.

As for things you can do about your own vehicle’s tires, here is some information from a USTMA news release about this year’s National Tire Safety Week: “U.S. tire manufacturers recommend drivers check tire pressure at least monthly, regularly check tire tread depth and ensure vehicle tires are rotated and properly aligned. Proper maintenance and periodic inspections by a tire professional are essential for optimum performance and service life of tires and can help ensure lower overall inspection impacts.

USTMA also offers the following safety advice: “To help motorists remember these important tire maintenance actions, USTMA encourages drivers to remember the acronym “P.A.R.T.” – Pressure, Alignment, Rotation and Tread. Tire safety essentials are especially important this year as significant numbers of motorists are back in their cars embarking on summer road trips.”

ADOT echoes the summer road trip safety recommendation, especially as we look ahead to the Fourth of July and Labor Day holiday weekends. Plan ahead, pack an emergency prep kit, check your vehicle for things such as tire pressure and condition. Don’t forget extra drinking water and other items that can help if an unscheduled stop in traffic occurs. Expect the unexpected, even if that includes a “gator.” 

It is that time of year again. Hot temperatures in Arizona have returned.

While some will be able to find comfort in air-conditioned spaces or spend the day poolside, others will still need to get in their car and drive. Maybe to get snacks and drinks for the pool party -- where is our invite?

Here at ADOT, we have some tips for you to keep your car running in tip-top condition during extreme summer heat.

• Test your battery. Excessive heat can destroy batteries and you don't want to be stranded without AC.
• Check your coolant levels. It's already hot out, help your car stay as cool as possible.,
• Expect the unexpected. Make sure your car has a first-aid kit, jumper cables and safety flares.

Also, don't forget about protecting yourself, too. Always pack sun protection, sunscreen, drinking water and healthy snacks.

Planning for a weekend getaway to avoid the heat? Download our free AZ511 app for up-to-the-minute travel conditions.

So here we are, in early 2022, and you may have already blown off your New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, get more sleep and be more patient with your in-laws.

OK, you tried. A little. It’s not like it’s life or death or anything.

But ADOT wants to suggest a few resolutions that actually could save your life. With a little help from some of our past traffic safety messages, we urge you to adopt the following resolutions:  

Drive slower, live longer. Slow down. Did you know that speeding is the most common driver violation related to crashes and, historically, is a factor in about a third of all traffic fatalities each year? The faster you go, the less control you have over your vehicle and the less time you have to react to the other guy’s driving error. If not for yourself, then slow down for your loved ones.

Buckle up, buttercup. Wear seatbelts. This simple habit, so easy to acquire with just a little practice, is a proven life safer, often meaning the difference between life and death in a crash. So make it a practice to get in your car, put on your seatbelt, adjust your sunglasses and then start your car.

Designated drivers make the best dates. Don't drive drunk. Impaired driving is a leading factor in crash fatalities. If you know you're going to drink alcohol, designate a driver or make alternative plans to get home safely.

Phone down, eyes up. Don’t text and drive.  It’s against the law to text while driving. It doesn’t matter if you’re making up with a loved one or getting a job offer. None of it matters if you’re not around. 

Move Over when you see flashing lights. If you can do so safely, shift over one lane when you see responders assisting a vehicle on the shoulder of a highway. It's not only the law, but this gives them a safe place to work.  

Don’t dally after a minor crash. It’s the law. If you are in a fender bender with no injuries, the most crucial thing to remember is simple: Get out of the travel lanes. Once your car is safely out of harm's way you can wait for a tow truck or law enforcement to arrive.

Download the free ADOT Alerts and AZ511 apps. To get alerts about unexpected events on your route, and to check traffic conditions before you head out, you’ll want to download these apps here. They will save you time and headaches.

 

At this time of year, when many of us travel on state highways for holiday treks to see family and friends, we want drivers to focus on making smart decisions.

Each year during the holiday travel season there are sobering reminders about tragic crashes on Arizona’s network of local streets and statewide highways. A year ago, there were 10 fatal crashes that claimed 14 lives on Arizona roadways -- local streets, county roads or statewide highways -- over the Christmasholiday. Ten fatal crashes also occurred during New Year’s weekend last year and three of the New Year’s weekend fatal crashes were alcohol-related.

We hope these numbers get your attention if you have plans to drive in the coming days or during the winter travel season.

What can you do to be prepared for a highway trip? It starts with never driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs. Options are out there: arrange for a designated driver, a cab or ride service in advance. If you find yourself facing a situation where someone shouldn’t be behind the wheel, do what you can to take their keys or be prepared to contact law enforcement so they don't injure themselves or others.

Based on an assumption that you’re on the nice list and have taken the pledge to not drive impaired, you also should be well-rested before heading out on a road trip. Fatigued driving is impaired driving and is a serious highway safety risk. 

Be prepared for winter road conditions, especially if traveling into the high country. Stay up to date on the forecast and seriously consider delaying travel until after a storm passes. That gives ADOT’s snowplow operators time to clear highways that can become snowpacked or icy.

Whether highways are icy, wet or dry, you should keep your speed under control. Excessive speed is a leading cause for crashes. Many lives could be saved if people buckled up, slowed down and didn’t make unsafe passing moves or do other aggressive things, like tailgating.

Each year, ADOT and the Department of Public Safety hear from stranded drivers who weren’t prepared for unscheduled highway closures, including times when winter weather stops traffic. You need to expect the unexpected and pack an emergency prep kit with extra drinking water and other supplies that can help keep you comfortable if a closure occurs. For more information visit azdot.gov/KnowSnow and look for “Must Haves” for every vehicle.

Before you leave on that trip, or if you’ve made a stop (including at a rest area), our 24-hour Traffic Operations Center is there for you. Real-time highway conditions are available on ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov, by calling 511 and through ADOT’s Twitter feed, @ArizonaDOT. 

When a freeway closure or other major traffic event occurs, the free app ADOT Alerts will send critical information directly to app users in affected areas – where possible, in advance of alternate routes. We’re ready for the holidays and 2022. We want you there with us. Safely Home.

Ah, the old summer road trip to the high country in Arizona. Cruising along in an air conditioned vehicle, watching the desert landscape transition to golden (and sometimes green) grasslands or chaparral before the forest beckons. Then a tire blows out, the air conditioning calls it quits or a disabled vehicle on that uphill climb creates a long line of traffic and a two-hour delay that has you boiling over. Most of us have been through this at least once, right?

But it wound up not being all that bad, because you listened to those nice folks at ADOT when they mentioned being prepared for such a trip. Even in that delay, you were a little more comfortable because you packed extra drinking water in a cooler for your family. You remembered to pack that old, extra blanket that you could kneel on if you needed to change that tire. And it actually wasn’t you needing to change that tire because you had the tire pressure checked and adjusted before the trip. As for the A/C going out? Sorry, not even my mechanic has been able to prevent that.

As we leave Labor Day Weekend behind, we now look ahead to what I hope will be your chance for a road trip this fall. Before we go any farther, please follow recommended guidelines and policies related to the current health situation.

Being prepared for a road trip is a year-round necessity, especially with our extreme weather conditions in the desert southwest. So get out that old milk crate, or cardboard box, and build that “just in case” travel prep kit. That’s in addition to the extra drinking water mentioned earlier.

ADOT provides some great information to review on our Severe Weather Safety site. The kit is where you can pack a flashlight, and extra batteries. That old blanket, a first aid kit, an extra jacket or set of clothes in case of inclement weather (yes, you could get wet) and a travel tool kit are good items to consider. An umbrella can help in rainy or “need some shade” conditions. I’ve also lost count of the number of times I’ve said, “Why didn’t I bring some sunscreen?”

Try your best to maintain a fully charged cellphone. ADOT also encourages you to download our free ADOT Alerts app, available at ADOTAlerts.com, which will send information to app users in affected areas when an unscheduled highway closure or other major traffic event occurs. Many folks have been able to switch to an alternate route after receiving an ADOT Alert.

So fuel up, don’t let your gas tank level get too low and head out on Arizona’s highways with a plan. Let someone know where you’re heading. Before you know it, winter, snowplows and winter-weather driving tips will be here. That’s a story for down the road. 

Forgive us for stating the obvious, but as long as there have been cars, there have been drivers.

And while that statement seems incredibly self-apparent, it's always something important to remember. There are people behind the wheel of each vehicle. They are our family, friends, neighbors, coworkers and, well, us!  

With all us being human, it's only natural that we would all need to do a self-check on our driving habits.

That's why we were so interested lately when we stumbled upon a November 1969 article from "Hiway Drumbeats," the old employee newsletter for the Arizona Highway Department (the precursor to ADOT). The headline immediately caught our eye: "Are You a Courteous Driver?"

It's a great question. And the interrogation didn't stop at the headline. What followed was a self-evaluation of sorts for every driver out there. And despite it being nearly 52 years old, we think everyone would benefit from this bit of introspection. That's why we thought we would share it with you now:  

Here is a list of questions – with the current emphasis on safe driving habits by Governor Jack Williams – which will permit any driver to give himself a road courtesy test.

How do you measure up? Ask yourself these questions:

• Do I follow the car ahead too closely?
• Do I inconsiderately make turns from the wrong traffic lane?
• Do I fail to give proper directional or hand signals?
• Do I aggressively deny another driver the right of way?
• Do I obstinately insist on the right of way if the other fellow happens to be out of line?
• Do I weave in and out of traffic?
• Do I pass other cars on hills or curves?
• Do I bullishly try to bluff other drivers?
• Do I fail to use the horn when necessary to warn other drivers?
• Do I irritate drivers and pedestrians by unnecessary use of the horn?
• Am I the one who forgets to dim lights for other drivers?
• Am I a road hog?
• Do I refuse to wait for pedestrians who may be crossing the street when the light turns?
• Do I block the pedestrian crosswalk while waiting for the light?
• Do I endanger others as well as myself by driving after drinking?
• Do I drive at excessive speed or exceed lawful limits?
• Do I give the driver from the side street a break?
• Do I double park?

Well, how did you do? Passed with flying colors or is your conscious tingling just a bit? 

If it's the former, we hope you take this as a reminder to keep up the good habits. If it's the latter, the good news is we can work on this every single time we get behind the wheel.

And definitley don't wait another 52 years to give yourself this quiz again.

Planning to visit Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park in Yarnell to pay respects and learn about the 19 brave firefighters who gave their lives battling against the Yarnell Hill Fire?

Make sure you do it by not parking illegally along State Route 89, putting yourself and others at risk.

With signs near the parking lot summarizing the tragedy of June 30, 2013, and a memorial at the top of the Weaver Mountains for those who are in shape to hike up the hill, the park provides multiple opportunities for Arizonans and others across the country to honor and remember those men.

Parking illegally along the shoulders of SR 89 to get to the park, however, is not the best nor safest way to show that honor. The shoulders of state highways are reserved for emergencies only. Parking along them causes distractions to drivers along the highway and can prevent emergency vehicles from gaining access to those who need help. 

Plus, it puts you and your family and friends at greater risk right next to the highway.

With more than 25,000 annual visitors to the state park, the parking lot can fill up fast. Thankfully, the Yarnell Fire Department has risen to the occasion by providing a shuttle service to the park on the weekends when the memorial park sees the most visitors.

The shuttle service runs Fridays through Sundays every half hour from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Proceed past the park into Yarnell and park at the Yarnell Fire Department. The last dropoff at the park trailhead is 1 p.m., and the last pickup at the park trailhead is 5 p.m.

To learn more about Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park and the shuttle service, visit azstateparks.com/hotshots.

The annual transition is underway. As April arrives, many Arizonans start to deal with the reality that winter weather is long gone and pleasant spring temperatures will make way for the “hot stuff.” This also is a good time to prepare yourself, and your vehicle, for travel on our Arizona highways.

Just like ADOT reminds you each fall to make sure you have an emergency preparedness kit in your car or truck in case something affects your winter weather travel, we’re here again - but this time with summer travel in mind. 

First, you should still take precautions during the current health situation. 

It’s likely OK to put the snow gloves and extra boots away, but many of the items you can carry in a winter weather emergency prep kit will be the same ones you’d have in a hot weather kit. Whether you pack a crate, a storage container or cardboard box, the key is to not ignore this chore.

You never know when an unscheduled, unexpected event will close one of our state highways. Vehicles, including big rigs, break down and sometimes block lanes. Wildfires can force closures too. Fire crews might need to stage equipment on a highway. And in addition to serious crashes, sometimes all it takes is a minor fender bender to back traffic up on highways that get us to and from the high country.

So yes, you need to be prepared and expect the unexpected. 

In my case, I also bring a small cooler with ice and extra drinking water. The extra water is the key here. It’s so important to have some in case you’re in a spot where traffic is stopped and summer temperatures are soaring. You should pack things that will make the situation much more bearable.

An extra blanket is still a good thing to have. You may have to kneel on it while changing a tire. Other items include a first aid kit, hats, sunglasses and an extra set of loose-fitting cotton clothing. An umbrella is a good idea for either shade or protection from rain. Since travel delays are possible, don’t forget an adequate amount of prescription medicines. 

We also recommend a flashlight, extra batteries, a fully charged cell phone and charger, healthy snacks, baby diapers if necessary and a small tool kit.

You also are going to want to take steps to limit problems with your vehicle. Having engine fluid levels, fan belts and tire pressure checked could save you risky time spent along a busy or lonely stretch of highway. Proper tire pressure is so important for reducing the risk of a blowout in hot weather.

This also is a good time to check the condition of your windshield wipers. Heading into a summer monsoon storm is a bad time to discover that little strip of detached wiper is waving around like an inflatable tube man at your local auto store’s weekend sale. 

Year round, it’s also smart to not let your gas tank level drop too low. The old adage is to try to keep your tank three-quarters full, although I have to admit I have a poor track record doing that. 

We also ask you to be a smart, safe driver. No aggressive speeding, tailgating or unsafe lane changes. Those add up to a recipe for tragedy.

Here’s hoping these reminders haven’t made you too sleepy. Speaking of which, get plenty of rest before heading out on a trip. Never drive while impaired, whether by alcohol or even prescription drugs that can cause drowsiness.

Real-time highway conditions are available on ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov, by calling 511 and through ADOT’s Twitter feed, @ArizonaDOT. When a freeway closure or other major traffic event occurs, our free app for ADOT Alerts, available at ADOTAlerts.com, will send critical information directly to app users in affected areas and, when possible, in advance of alternate routes. 

ADOT has more on our Extreme Weather Safety site. If you’re heading to the high country or another destination as our weather heats up, don’t just jump in the car in your shorts, t-shirt and flip flops. You’ll be a happy camper if you prepare an emergency kit and actually expect the unexpected.