By Doug Pacey / ADOT Communications

With one weekend left before Christmas, now is the time for many motorists to make a last-ditch effort to move their name from the “naughty list” to the “nice list.”

Crash reports show that more than 90 percent of vehicle collisions are caused by driver behavior, such as drivers choosing to drive recklessly, impaired or distracted. These bad decisions make the roads less safe for all of us.

In an effort to encourage drivers to make better decisions behind the wheel, motorists will see Christmas-themed safety messages on ADOT’s overhead signs. These quirky messages urge drivers to make safe choices, like choosing not to speed or drive drunk, and to use turn signals.

The rising number of fatal crashes isn’t an uplifting topic of holiday party banter, but our goal in posting these unconventional safety messages is to kick-start conversations about safe driving because real change must begin in the driver’s seat.

By David Woodfill / ADOT Communications

Whether your passion is sledding, making snowmen or taking selfies with heart hands, don’t park on highway shoulders to play in the snow.

It happens every winter: After a snowstorm passes though, common sense and driver etiquette go out the window for some, and motorists begin parking on highway shoulders, along interchange ramps and even along busy Interstate 17 to have some not-so-safe winter fun.

The photo at right snows people playing in the snow at the Stoneman Lake Road interchange with I-17 after a 2017 storm. Not a wise move, valued constituents.

Highway shoulders are for emergencies only. Stopping there puts you and your loved ones at risk of a crash. It blocks first responders and snowplows en route to emergencies or to help stranded motorists. It also contributes to backups and delays.

Snowplow clearing the road

Oh, and have I mentioned that ADOT plows can hurl snow and ice far off the roadway? You’re going to lose that snowball fight every time, so there's one more reason to play elsewhere.

Get the picture? Great! Then let’s make this a safe and considerate winter season for everyone by using designated parking areas rather than shoulders when heading north to frolic in the snow.

If you’re on US 180 northwest of Flagstaff, where many head after winter storms, we’ve posted signs noting that shoulders are for emergencies only. But that applies everywhere, and it’s with everyone's safety in mind.

With snow season off to an early start, you can get more winter safety tips at azdot.gov/KnowSnow.

By Doug Nintzel / ADOT Communications

The Arizona Department of Transportation’s wrong-way vehicle alert system being tested along a stretch of Interstate 17 in Phoenix has earned a special award for innovation.

ADOT’s first-in-the-nation pilot I-17 system, featuring 90 thermal cameras that detect and track wrong-way vehicles, was named the “Best in Class” winner in a Government Innovation Awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.

The system, in operation since January of this year, has detected more than 40 wrong-way vehicles within the I-17 pilot project’s boundaries stretching 15 miles from the I-10 “Stack” interchange near downtown Phoenix to the Loop 101 interchange in north Phoenix.

Brent Cain, who leads ADOT’s Transportation Systems Management and Operations division, and David Riley, the I-17 system's project manager (shown in the photo above), accepted the award recently during a ceremony held by GCN, an information technology industry magazine and sponsor of the innovation awards competition.

“To earn a best in class award while sharing the evening’s event with agencies like the U.S. Navy, NASA and the FBI was very humbling,” Cain said. “This award recognizes the commitment of many people at ADOT as well as our private sector partners to reduce the risk of tragic wrong-way crashes, often caused by impaired drivers.”

ADOT’s I-17 system immediately alerts operators in the agency’s traffic operations center as well as the Arizona Department of Public Safety to the detection of a wrong-way vehicle, saving valuable response time for AZDPS troopers in the field and allowing ADOT to quickly post warning messages on overhead signs for other freeway drivers.

Fortunately, the vast majority of wrong-way drivers detected by the system’s thermal cameras so far have turned around on off-ramps without entering the freeway.

ADOT earned the Best in Class innovation award in the state and local category. The U.S. Navy won best in class in the defense category while the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was recognized among federal-civilian finalists.

By Laurie Merrill / ADOT Communications

Nearly everyone has driven past a minor crash on a freeway. A handful of you, no doubt, have been involved in such a crash.

So what does one do if, heaven forbid, it happens to you? More to the point: How do you stay safe?

If you are in the fender bender, the most crucial thing to remember is simple: Move over. Get out of the travel lanes. You don’t have to preserve the scene of non-injury crash.

The second thing to remember: Don’t step into traffic to photograph your vehicle. Once your car is safely on the shoulder, you should be too. You and the other driver can exchange pertinent information while waiting safely, out of the way of traffic, for law enforcement to arrive.

This is called Quick Clearance, a strategy that keeps motorists safe and traffic moving. Quick Clearance is one of the practices that the Arizona Department of Transportation, the Arizona Department of Public Safety and other traffic-safety stakeholders are promoting during National Traffic Incident (TIM) Awareness Week.

In addition to providing TIM tips this week, motorists will also see related safety messages on overhead signs and on social media. You'll find examples above and below.

Quick Clearance is also a matter of state law. Drivers in minor crashes with operable vehicles are required to remove their vehicles from the roadway if it is safe to do so.

At the same time, motorists approaching a crash or a vehicle with flashing lights are required to move over one lane or slow down under Arizona’s “Move Over” law.

It’s all part of traffic safety, and it's an important message for motorists.

By Doug Pacey / ADOT Communications

At the intersection of Halloween and transportation, two topics bubble to the top of the traffic cauldron.

The first is that the afternoon commute begins earlier than usual because people are rushing to get home for trick-or-treating and parties. Next, and more importantly, is that drivers should expect to see many more pedestrians on sidewalks because trick-or-treaters will be making their way through neighborhoods.

In an effort to encourage drivers to make safe driving decisions, ADOT will display two Halloween-themed safety messages on overhead signs statewide.

Last year on Halloween, 12 pedestrian-related crashes occurred – that’s more than twice the daily average of pedestrian collisions. ADOT wants to remind drivers to use extra caution and anticipate seeing pedestrians in unexpected places, such as crossing streets outside of crosswalks. And trick-or-treaters should stick to sidewalks, wear bright costumes and look both ways before crossing streets.

By Doug Pacey / ADOT Communications

Next week, Oct. 21-27, traffic safety stakeholders across the country will recognize National Teen Driver Safety Week.

Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States. With Teen Driver Safety Week coming, it’s a good time for parents to chat with their teen drivers and remind them of the simple actions they can take that make themselves safer in cars:

• Always wear a seat belt.
• Don’t speed.
• Don’t drive impaired or let impaired people get behind the wheel.
• Don’t drive distracted.

Those actions are some of the leading factors in fatal crashes and all are preventable. And, in Arizona, too many preventable crashes involving young drivers happen this month. In Arizona last year, the month of October saw more crashes involving young drivers than any other month. In 2017, there were 5,106 crashes involving drivers ages 16-24.

If there’s a young driver in your family, take a moment and talk about the easy things they can do that increase their odds of avoiding a crash.

This is part of a series we’re calling “Focus On Driving.” This series looks at often-overlooked measures that keep the traveling public safe – from rumble strips and barriers to the reflective paint used in lane striping – as well as timely safety topics, such as when crashes involving particular factors occur most often and nationally-recognized safety efforts.

By Steve Elliott / ADOT Communications

It's a rainy week with the remnants of Hurricane Rosa passing through Arizona. That's why we're urging motorists to slow down, avoid tailgating and sudden braking, and expect the unexpected.

We have plenty of rainy-weather safety tips available at azdot.gov/safety (follow the Weather link). But I want to call attention to a few in particular, starting with allowing extra time to reach your destination safely and, if you can, delaying travel when it's raining heavily or there's blowing dust, as happened Sunday in the Phoenix area.

I also want to make sure you know what to do when a vehicle hydroplanes. That's when you drift due to a thin layer of water between your tires and the asphalt. If you feel you are hydroplaning, ease your foot off the gas pedal until you regain traction. Don't brake suddenly. If you are sliding or drifting, gently turn your steering wheel in the direction of your slide.

Also, avoid sudden braking, which can cause you to slide on wet pavement. Leaving plenty of following room between your vehicle and the one ahead of you is a good way to prevent having to brake suddenly. To slow down on a wet road, take your foot off the gas pedal and brake slowly.

You can get real-time highway conditions on ADOT’s Traveler Information site at az511.gov and by calling 511. I also recommend following ADOT’s Twitter feed, @ArizonaDOT, the source of photo tweets embedded in this post. When a freeway closure or other major traffic event occurs, our free app available at ADOTAlerts.com will send critical information directly to app users in affected areas – where possible, in advance of alternate routes.

That's all the advice I have to give. Now I hope you follow it. Please slow down for safety and always be prepared for the unexpected.