By Doug Nintzel / ADOT Communications

With last year’s installation of the pilot Interstate 17 wrong-way vehicle detection and warning system in Phoenix, the Arizona Department of Transportation has looked ahead to sharing information about the project with other states also responding to challenges involving often-impaired wrong-way drivers.

An opportunity to do that happened this month when members of ADOT’s Transportation Systems Management and Operations Division staff, as well as the state Department of Public Safety and the Federal Highway Administration’s Arizona Division, held a peer exchange with law enforcement and transportation officials from California, Florida and Texas.

Those attending the event at ADOT’s Traffic Operations Center in Phoenix had a chance to learn more about the first-in-the-nation wrong-way vehicle system using thermal detection cameras, 90 of them in all. It has been in operation since January along a 15-mile stretch of I-17 between the I-10 “Stack” interchange and the Loop 101 interchange in north Phoenix.

Peer Exchange Event

Speakers from ADOT and DPS emphasized the strong partnership between the two agencies as a side-by-side effort to reduce the risk of wrong-way vehicle incidents along state highways, including Phoenix-area freeways.

A tour of the Traffic Operations Center’s control room highlighted how operators are prepared to respond to an alert of a wrong-way vehicle. DPS discussed the recent decision to have state troopers stationed at their own control room console 24 hours a day.

The around-the-clock presence provides DPS with expanded communication with troopers out in the field who need to be ready to respond if alerts or calls about wrong-way vehicles come in.

ADOT’s $4 million I-17 wrong-way alert system, funded by the Maricopa Association of Governments, features an innovative computerized decision support system to manage communication among key components.

The system’s thermal cameras are positioned to detect wrong-way vehicles entering I-17 off-ramps, immediately triggering new illuminated wrong-way signs with flashing red lights aimed at getting the attention of the wrong-way driver.

Peer Exchange Event

A detection also instantly alerts ADOT and DPS, allowing faster communication with troopers and local law enforcement instead of depending on 911 calls from other freeway drivers. ADOT in turn can quickly warn drivers with wrong-way vehicle messages on overhead freeway signs.

Technology, including the I-17 system, cannot prevent all wrong-way crashes from happening. The primary goal, as shared with the representatives from other states this week, is to reduce the risk of serious crashes by saving valuable time for law enforcement response and for warning other drivers.

ADOT continues to work with DPS and the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to promote efforts to stop impaired driving, a leading factor in wrong-way crashes.

By John Halikowski / ADOT Director

Traffic fatalities in Arizona, and nationwide, are climbing. Every year since 2014, the number of people killed annually in car crashes on Arizona’s city streets, county roads and state highways has increased.

Beginning this week, you’ll be able to see the life-and-death consequences that selfish driving decisions have on Arizona’s motorists. We’re placing a feature on the ADOT homepage that displays the number of people killed in traffic collisions since Jan. 1, 2018, on Arizona’s roads. This number will be updated weekly.

Our aim in sharing this number and updating it weekly is to make the public aware that drivers’ actions have real-life consequences. We must reverse the trend of rising traffic fatalities.

I say “we” because ADOT can’t do this alone. Here’s why: Even if there were zero fatal crashes on the state highway system in 2017, the number of traffic fatalities in Arizona still would have numbered in the hundreds because 66 percent of fatal crashes occurred on city streets, county highways and reservation roads.

The change must begin in the driver’s seat. More than 90 percent of crashes are caused by driver behavior. Speeding, impairment, distraction and aggressive driving are leading factors in fatal crashes. These are all behaviors we can choose not to engage in.

When drivers stop being selfish – your text isn’t as important as someone’s life – our roads will be safer for all of us.

This post originally appeared on ADOT Director John Halikowski's LinkedIn page. He has led the agency since 2009.

By John Halikowski / ADOT Director

You did it again, Arizona!

For the second year in a row, your entries in the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Safety Message Contest were fantastic. Your messages made us laugh, smile and showed us how safe driving affects all of us.

We received about 2,200 submissions in the first phase of the contest, which ended Feb. 27. The second phase of the contest began when we revealed the 15 finalists and opened up voting to the public. Voting will continue through Monday, Mar. 26, and can be done at azdot.gov/signcontest.

Like last year, the top two vote-getters will be declared winners and their authors will be invited to our Traffic Operations Center where they’ll be able to type their safety message into our system and send it to overhead signs across Arizona.

So, please, do your civic duty, vote today and support safe driving!

This post originally appeared on ADOT Director John Halikowski's 
LinkedIn page. He has led the agency since 2009.

By Tom Herrmann / ADOT Communications

As Sonora dedicated a safety corridor Monday along Federal 8 between Lukeville and Puerto Peñasco, Arizona leaders including ADOT Director John Halikowski (fourth from the right with a white shirt and tie) helped mark the occasion.

Traveling to Sonoyta, just south of the border, these Arizonans joined Sonora officials in recognizing a binational effort that led to the safety corridor.

Corredor Seguro Sign

They noted that Arizonans will benefit from Mexico's safety corridor as they head to the beaches of Rocky Point, while Sonora residents will benefit when they head to Sonoyta and visit Arizona.

This partnership, they said, is about increasing safety and working together with mutual respect.

Resulting from a joint agreement signed by Governor Doug Ducey and Sonora Governor Claudia Pavlovich at a summit held in Rocky Point in December, the safety corridor includes road signs with safety messages in Spanish and English and a pilot program that will have Sonora sharing information from that area to 511 and ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site, az511.gov.

ADOT representatives visited Mexico to train first responders and government officials on Traffic Incident Management, which promotes quickly clearing incident scenes when appropriate while safeguarding motorists and emergency workers. Traffic Incident Management techniques have been shown to reduce secondary crashes that often are more serious than the initial incidents.

“Our long-standing partnership with Mexico is as strong as ever and this safety corridor between Arizona and Sonora is a great example of how cross-border collaboration helps promote safety and tourism for everyone,” Governor Ducey said in a news release. “Governor Pavlovich has been an incredible partner on this safety corridor and I thank her for all of her efforts.”

By John Halikowski / ADOT Director

Collaboration among Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, Sonoran Governor Claudia Pavlovich, the Arizona-Mexico Commission, and my transportation counterparts in Sonora, ADOT has been excited to support the Sonoran government with the creation of a safety corridor for Mexico Route 8 between Lukeville and the beaches in Puerto Peñasco. This safety corridor effort will enhance safety on the road to Rocky Point.

The safety corridor is expected to be in place before spring break in March. The corridor will include a safety analysis of the road and signs with safety messages in both Spanish and English. Mexican first responders, military and government officials have been trained by ADOT personnel on how to remove crashes quickly from the two-lane highway, restore traffic flow and reduce secondary crashes that often occur when roads are blocked by using our Traffic Incident Management techniques (tim.az.gov).

The idea of the safety corridor came about from our ADOT-sponsored truck safety courses in Hermosillo, Sonora. ADOT saw the opportunity to collaborate on an important safety issue that has the potential to benefit both U.S. and Mexican citizens.

In addition to the safety corridor, we will be integrating Sonora traffic incidents into the Arizona 511 Traffic Information Systems (az511.gov) to assist drivers on both sides of the border.

Collaboration between Arizona and Sonora is what made the safety corridor a reality. It speaks to the strong working relationship we have developed to improve transportation, tourism and trade for the region.

This post originally appeared on ADOT Director John Halikowski's
LinkedIn page. He has led the agency since 2009.

By Doug Pacey / ADOT Communications

As motorists travel on Arizona’s state highways on Feb. 14, they’ll see a Valentine’s Day safety message displayed on overhead signs.

Making the choice to drive safely is one of the best ways to show loved ones how much they’re cared for. More than 90 percent of vehicle collisions are caused by driver decisions, including speeding, driving aggressively, distracted or impaired, meaning nearly all crashes are probably preventable.

We can’t promise candy hearts or roses to safe drivers, but we’ll be a not-so-secret admirer of those who make smart and safe decisions behind the wheel.

By Doug Pacey / ADOT Communications

In the time it takes you to read this sentence, if you were driving a car at 55 mph, you’d have traveled about the length of a football field.

Think you could drive that distance and avoid anything – another vehicle, an animal or a young child chasing a ball – that travels into your path with your eyes not watching the road?

Probably not.

Every day during the month of February in Arizona, on average, there are about 48 distracted driving-related crashes. And those are only the ones that are reported – the actual crash total is believed to be much larger because many drivers do not admit to being distracted after causing a collision.

All of those crashes are preventable. When drivers take attention away from the task at hand – safely steering a 2-ton block of metal, plastic and glass – they endanger themselves, fellow motorists and pedestrians.

Distracted driving takes many forms – texting, turning and talking to passengers, and scrolling through playlists to find the perfect song are all examples.

Make smart decisions when driving. Keep your focus on the road ahead and your vehicle’s surroundings so everyone can safely reach their destination.