By Gant Wegner / ADOT Communications

Wrong-way driving.

No issue has prompted more people to contact ADOT over the past year. We have received hundreds of emails, calls and letters expressing concern that some drivers – almost always impaired by alcohol or drugs – are able to drive onto a freeway going in the wrong direction.

People are outraged that innocent motorists driving in the right direction are injured or killed in crashes with vehicles going the wrong way. We are too.

Those who reach out often ask what ADOT is going to do to stop wrong-way drivers.

We answer that ADOT has taken significant steps to address wrong-way driving and continues to seek ways to reduce the threat. Safety is our top priority in everything we do.

Our crews have installed larger and lowered "Wrong Way" and "Do Not Enter" signs in better view of drivers at dozens of highway ramps. We have added attention-getting wrong-way pavement arrows outlined by bright red reflectors on freeway ramps. We are testing wrong-way vehicle sensor technology that could be used to alert motorists, state troopers and other emergency responders to a driver going the wrong way.

Many of those contacting ADOT say we should install tire spike strips to blow the tires of wrong-way vehicles. You’ve probably heard the loud clank as you’ve driven over these spring-loaded spike strips at rental car parking lots and other places where vehicles are prevented from driving in or out for security reasons.

As enticing as that idea seems, there is no place in the world where spikes are used on highway systems. Other states have studied the possibility and determined that spikes wouldn't work, including a detailed engineering analysis by the Texas Department of Transportation that found:

• Spikes are designed for slow speeds/low-volume traffic and are not guaranteed to damage the tires of vehicles traveling at higher speeds.
• Broken spikes can damage tires of vehicles traveling in the right direction.
• Right-way drivers can create unsafe situations by slowing down quickly for spike strips.
• Spikes can be a hazard to motorcycles and small cars.
• Spike strips are slippery when wet and prone to getting clogged with dirt and snow.

ADOT appreciates all the feedback we have received on wrong-way drivers. This kind of engagement is what we want to have with you, our fellow motorists.

Safety engineering can only do so much. Most cases of wrong-way driving are a direct result of impaired driving, and to truly address the danger everyone must focus on making better decisions before getting behind the wheel.

You know that ADOT is all about transportation safety. From work zone safety and weather-related travel tips to Pull Aside and Move Over, we try to make sure motorists have all the tools they need to stay safe on the road…

What you might not know is that ADOT also promotes transportation safety to its employees (just working here doesn’t automatically make you an expert – we all need safety reminders once in a while!).

One way we do that is through the annual ADOT Safety Calendar.

Produced since 2003, the calendar features original artwork submitted by child relatives of ADOT employees. The drawings focus on different safety messages, including distracted driving, seat belt safety and wrong-way drivers.

ADOT recently celebrated this year’s artists with a fun ceremony. Our video team asked them to elaborate on their safety messages. We’ll be sharing the videos throughout the year on Facebook and hope you enjoy seeing how important safety is through the eyes of children. We hope their messages will remind us all to slow down and pay attention to what we are doing on the road.

The holiday travel season is officially here and it’s sure to be a busy one.

According to AAA, the number of holiday travelers nationwide is expected to top 100 million for the first time ever and guess what? Most of them will be driving.

Here at ADOT, we know that now is the time when many people take to the road to visit family and friends. That’s why we offer up a number of resources to help you plan your trip and make it safe…

Know Snow: Drivers need to plan ahead if their travels could include snow or ice. Our Know Snow page contains a lot of good information, including safety recommendations and tips to prepare your vehicle for a trip up north.

az511: Before heading out on the road, you’ll want to visit ADOT’s Traveler Information Center at az511.gov. The site provides the latest highway conditions around the state and features real-time images along highways that provide a glimpse of weather conditions in various regions. You can also call 511 – outside of Arizona dial 1-888-411-ROAD (7623) – for updates on highway conditions.

Twitter: For updates nearly round the clock (4 a.m. to midnight) directly from ADOT’s Traffic Operations Center, ADOT's Twitter feed is the one to follow @ArizonaDOT.

ServiceArizona: All ADOT and MVD offices will be closed in recognition of the holidays on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1, but you can always visit ServiceArizona.com to complete a number of MVD transactions online.

Finally, we encourage you to plan ahead, allow extra travel time, avoid distractions and be patient when traveling during the holidays. Please obey speed limits, buckle up and never drive while impaired. Here are some additional driving tips to help make sure you and your family have a happy and safe holiday season:

• Get a good night’s rest before heading out on a trip.
• Check your vehicle, including tire pressure, fluid levels and the condition of engine belts.
• Buckle up and double-check child safety seats.
• Never drive while impaired. Arrange for a designated driver ahead of time.
• Obey speed limits, be patient and avoid distractions. Don’t text while driving.
• Have an emergency preparedness kit that includes extra clothes, blankets, flashlights, snack foods and drinking water.

By Doug Pacey
ADOT Office of Public Information

Unless you live in a galaxy far, far away, you’re probably aware that movies theaters on Earth will soon begin showing “Star Wars: Episode 7 – The Force Awakens.” Count the Arizona Department of Transportation among those thrilled that the Force is no longer slumbering, as we can capitalize on a pop culture phenomenon to slip in a message about the dangers of drowsy driving.

Seriously, do you think Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon could have made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs if he’d been asleep at the controls?

Not on Yoda’s life.

All right, everything you just read might be as ridiculous as Jar Jar Binks, but drowsy driving is no joke. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, driver fatigue was the direct cause of about 72,000 crashes, including 800 fatalities and 44,000 injuries, in 2013. However, it’s known that drowsy driving is under-reported and could contribute to as many as 6,000 fatal crashes each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

To us, that couldn’t be more startling than if you (SPOILER ALERT!) learned your arch-enemy is also your father.

Drowsy driving can affect anyone – droids excluded – but is more common among teens, college students and young adults, shift workers, commercial drivers and drivers with untreated sleep disorders. To combat driver fatigue, make sleep a priority. Most adults need at least seven hours of sleep per night, while teens and young adults require a least eight hours. If you skimp on sleep, “sleep debt” will accumulate and you don’t want to be behind the wheel – or on a mission to destroy the Death Star – when it’s time to pay up.

Warning signs of drowsy driving, according to the National Sleep Foundation, include:

• Difficulty focusing, frequent blinking, heavy eyelids.
• Yawning repeatedly or rubbing eyes.
• Daydreaming, wandering or disconnecting thoughts.
• Missing exits or traffic signs.
• Drifting from your lane, tailgating, hitting the rumble strip.

If you notice those symptoms, try doing this:

• Change drivers.
• Consume caffeine to increase alertness, but know that it can take about 30 minutes to enter the bloodstream.
• Pull over and take a 15-20 minute nap and recharge or find a place to sleep for the night.

Remember, even Jedi require a good night’s rest. Do it you must. There is no try.

By Dallas Hammit
State Engineer/Deputy Director for Transportation

Sharing the road needs to be a focus year-round, and right now, as many children head back to school, it’s the perfect time for all of us (motorists, pedestrians and cyclists) to review and improve our habits.

Luckily, there are a number of resources available offering guidelines and safety tips that illustrate how each of us can safely and legally share the road.

“Sharing the Road with Pedestrians” and “Share the Road” are both available on the ADOT website and each publication offers up a comprehensive look at how to be safer out on the road. The guides give rules for several different scenarios and also provide information on Arizona traffic laws.

The National Center for Safe Routes to School website includes good tips for walking to school safely – parents should review it and share it with their children. This article from the National Safety Council is another one that’s focused on back-to-school safety tips for motorists and students.

Last year in Arizona, there were more than 1,500 pedestrian-involved crashes and about 1,700 that involved cyclists. Combined, those crashes resulted in 185 fatalities and more than 2,500 people who were injured.

The statistics remind us just how crucial it is for everyone to do their part. To get those numbers down, we all need to pay attention, stay alert and share the road.

By Dallas Hammit
State Engineer/Deputy Director for Transportation

The goal for these monthly messages is to enhance awareness about transportation-safety issues, and when it comes to choosing topics, I find a lot of value in highlighting subjects that many drivers might be unfamiliar with. Traffic Incident Management (TIM) falls into that category.

While some people reading this are very knowledgeable on the subject, most motorists aren’t aware of the methods employed by first responders to quickly and efficiently clear crash scenes. Drivers also might not realize why TIM is so critical.

TIM, defined in the Strategic Highway Safety Plan as “the coordinated process to identify, respond to and clear traffic incidents to prevent secondary collisions and reduce the duration of incident-related congestion,” promotes consistent training for responders and focuses on safety and the efficient clearance of incidents.

TIM is valuable because every minute counts when responding to the scene of a traffic incident. Consider this: according to our partners at the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS), national statistics show that for every minute a vehicle is sitting adjacent to the travel lane or on the shoulder, the risk of a secondary crash increases by 2.8 percent.

Those secondary crashes are often more severe than the initial incident, which is why the effort behind TIM is so significant. It’s also why a wide variety of ADOT employees have gone through the four-hour TIM responder course.

In addition to training, ADOT has a partnership with DPS, the Federal Highway Administration and the Maricopa Association of Governments that places state troopers at the ADOT Traffic Operations Center for a faster response, with the goal of reducing congestion and improving safety statewide.

All of this coordination is making a difference, and as drivers, we appreciate the efforts of all responders, including law enforcement, fire/EMS personnel, tow-truck drivers and ADOT’s Arizona Local Emergency Response Team (ALERT). The best way to show that appreciation is to slow down and Move Over when you see flashing lights. It’s not just a courtesy – it’s the law. Arizona’s Move Over law requires all drivers to move over one lane, or slow down and use caution, when passing any vehicle with flashing lights pulled to the side of any road or highway.

The next time you’re Moving Over, I hope you’ll think of all the people who are out there, putting into practice the TIM principles and working together to safely clear the road.

Red means STOP!

It’s the rule of the road most of us were taught first, long before we ever learned to drive.

Simple and straightforward, a red light means you’ve got to stop (and stay stopped for as long as the light stays red). That applies whether you’re driving a vehicle, riding a bicycle or walking…

Unfortunately, red-light running is an issue across the country, and the consequences can be deadly. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that in 2013, 697 people nationwide were killed in crashes that involved red-light running. According to the Federal Highway Association, an estimated 165,000 people are injured annually by red-light running.

ADOT’s 2014 Crash Facts Report shows that there were at least 26 fatal crashes in Arizona last year in which drivers were cited for disregarding a traffic signal, such as running a red light, and 20 additional fatal crashes when drivers were cited for ignoring a stop sign. There were at least 2,653 crashes that resulted in injuries because a driver failed to stop at a red light or a stop sign.

Those numbers are why National Stop on Red Week takes place the first week of August every year to bring attention to this serious safety issue.

For our part, we’d like to remind everyone to pay attention and focus on safe driving behaviors on the road. That includes stopping at red lights and stop signs, buckling up, obeying speed limits, avoiding distractions and never driving while impaired.

By obeying traffic signals, you’re not only keeping yourself and others safe, you’re also saving time and money.

If you run a red light (or a flashing red light) and receive a traffic citation, upon conviction of that violation you will be required to attend Traffic Survival School (TSS). MVD is required by law to order the completion of TSS for every red light conviction reported by the courts. Failure to complete the course results in an indefinite suspension of your driving privilege.

Finally, since we’re on the subject of traffic signals, you might want to review what the different lights indicate. For example, a yellow light does NOT mean you should speed up to “beat the light” – that’s actually illegal and can cause a crash. For a refresher on what each light, arrow and flashing signal mean, take a look at this section from the Arizona Driver License Manual.

“Crashes caused by drivers who ignore red lights and stop signs are among the easiest to prevent,” Arizona Department of Transportation Director John Halikowski said at the start of National Stop on Red Week. “All it takes is for drivers to slow down, put distractions away and remember that red means stop.”