At ADOT we always want to give drivers a warning of what’s coming up on the road ahead...

Whether it’s an impending freeway closure or a new type of traffic signal, we try our very best to get the word out ahead of time so motorists know what to expect.

But, sometimes something will impact our roads (and the ability to drive them) quickly and without much notice, making it all the more difficult to get the message out.

Dust storms absolutely fall under this category.

As you can see in the video above, these weather phenomena arrive suddenly and bring a blinding dust that can quickly reduce visibility to near zero. They make driving conditions hazardous and can cause crashes that may involve chain collisions and massive pileups on highways.

Ultimately, dust storms are an act of nature. While we don’t get much advance notice that they’re on the way, we can at least learn about these storms and know what to do when we encounter one.

Which brings us to this week’s theme: Pull Aside • Stay Alive.

You’ll hear that a lot from us over the next few days as we devote the entire week to monsoon and dust storm awareness.

That’s right ... this whole week will be focused on staying safe during the monsoon and dust storm season. We’ve got a lot planned for you here on the blog and on our Facebook and Twitter pages, too, so you’ll want to stay tuned!

But, first up, we’ve got some tips for drivers. Motorists play an important role in their own safety and the safety of others when operating vehicles during a dust storm ... here’s what to do when encountering a low- or no-visibility dust storm:

• Avoid driving into or through a dust storm. 
• Do not wait until poor visibility makes it difficult to safely pull off the roadway -- do it as soon as possible. Completely exit the highway if you can.
• If you encounter a dust storm, check traffic immediately around your vehicle (front, back and to the side) and begin slowing down.
• Do not stop in a travel lane or in the emergency lane; look for a safe place to pull completely off the paved portion of the roadway.
• Stop the vehicle in a position ensuring it is a safe distance from the main roadway and away from where other vehicles may travel.
• Turn off all vehicle lights, including your emergency flashers.
• Set your emergency brake and take your foot off the brake.
• Stay in the vehicle with your seatbelts buckled and wait for the storm to pass.
• Drivers of high-profile vehicles should be especially aware of changing weather conditions and travel at reduced speeds.
• A driver’s alertness and safe driving ability is still the No. 1 factor to prevent crashes.

A three-day weekend is coming up and that means a lot of people will be hitting the road…

It’s the perfect time to take a road trip, but it’s also wildfire season and we’ve all got to be a bit more careful in this dry, desert climate we live.

Earlier this week we provided some tips that focused on how you can safely drive (and pull your vehicle over) in areas with reduced visibility due to smoke. But, today we’re going to talk about what drivers can do to actually prevent fires from starting in the first place.

Yes, drivers play an important role in wildfire prevention!

Over half of the wildland fires in Arizona each year are human caused, according to State Forester Scott Hunt with the Arizona State Forestry Division.

“Roadside fires are common in Arizona and most are avoidable,” Hunt said. “The danger of roadside fires starting from a car pulling a trailer with improperly adjusted safety chains or the careless disposal of smoking materials is very real.”

Here are a few things you can do to reduce the threat of fire along Arizona’s roads:

• Never park your vehicle on dry grass, or drive through tall grass
• Never throw a lighted cigarette out the window of a vehicle
• When pulling a trailer, attach safety chains securely; loose chains can drag on the pavement and cause sparks, igniting roadside fires
• Do not park where vegetation is touching the underside of your vehicle
• Look behind you before driving away to check for signs of a developing fire
• Observe “Red Flag” warnings. Warnings are issued when weather conditions are conducive to the easy start and rapid spread of wildfires
• Always use a spark arrestor in internal combustion engines
• Driving into smoke can be dangerous; avoid active fires by calling 511 or log onto ADOT’s Traveler Information site at www.az511.gov to seek alternate routes.

For more on wildfires, visit www.azein.gov, the state’s online source for real-time emergency updates, preparedness and hazard information. Another excellent source for wildfire information is www.wildlandfire.az.gov, which is supported by wildland fire agencies in Arizona as part of an interagency collaboration.

Late last week a travel alert went out to warn drivers of some heavy smoke present near SR 69 due to the Gladiator Fire burning near Crown King.

ADOT advised drivers to slow down and remain alert in the area because the smoke was, at the time, reducing visibility. As of this morning, fire crews are continuing to battle the blaze (along with a few others around the state) and are making progress.

Unfortunately, it seems wildfire season is already here…

We thought now would be a good time to share some tips for safely driving (and pulling over) in areas with reduced visibility. Maybe you’ve heard them before, but they’re worth reviewing and remembering:

• Check traffic immediately around your vehicle (front, back and to the side) and begin slowing down.
• Do not stop in the travel lane unless the vehicle traffic in front of you has come to a stop.
• Look for a safe place to pull completely off the paved portion of the roadway.
• Stop the vehicle in a position ensuring it is a safe distance from the main roadway and not near where any vehicles may travel.
• Turn off all vehicle lights.
• Set your emergency brake and take your foot off the brake.
• Stay in your vehicle and keep your seat belts on.
• Wait for the visibility to improve before re-entering the roadway.

One more thing … you always can stay up-to-date on the latest highway conditions (fire-related or otherwise) around the state by visiting az511.gov or by calling 511.

What’s filled with sand, weighs up to 1,400 pounds and is designed to save lives?

If you answered a sand barrel crash cushion, you’re correct!

And, if you didn’t have a guess then you’re probably asking: What’s a sand barrel crash cushion?

Let us explain…

Like their name implies, sand barrel crash cushions are filled with sand, shaped like a barrel and work to provide a “cushion” if a vehicle were to crash into one.

A sand barrel crash cushion works similarly to the way an attenuator functions (regular readers of this blog already know all about fixed attenuators and truck-mounted attenuators).

You’ve probably seen them several times on the side of the road. They’re placed strategically in front of fixed objects (signs, poles, etc.) and will take the impact if a driver runs into them. For a brief explanation of how this happens, let’s take a look at this excerpt from our blog post on fixed attenuators:

This is by no means a physics blog, but a basic grasp of how energy works is needed to understand attenuators …

A vehicle’s speed and size determine how much energy it has. Normally, this energy is dissipated by your brakes, which burn off that energy slowly, allowing you to come to a safe stop.

But, if a vehicle stops by crashing into a wall, the energy is dispersed very suddenly, resulting in a car that’s crushed. Attenuators won't exactly give a soft landing, but they do work to dissipate the energy slowly like your brakes do.

A little more on sand barrel crash cushions…
They can be set up in different configurations depending on speed limits and the specifics of the location.

One common setup consists of 12 barrels (although, there are numerous variations). You’ll often see four of the barrels lined up single file. Behind those first four, there typically will be four more rows with barrels lined up two by two.

The weight of each barrel varies – they weigh 200, 400, 700 or 1,400 lbs. The lightest barrels are placed in front and they get progressively heavier to handle the impact, absorb and dissipate the energy of a crash.

One more cool fact about these barrels: they come with inserts, which help crews fill them with sand accurately. Depending on the desired weight (they’re very light to begin with – before the sand goes in), they’ll use an insert designed to take up some of the space within the barrel. Crews then just have to fill with sand to the appropriate level to make sure it’s heavy enough.

And, just to give you an idea of how frequently they’re used – there’s about 4,000 barrels in the Phoenix district alone, which at 12 barrels a setup, translates to about 333 locations!

Back in July we told you all about truck-mounted attenuators and how vital they are to the safety of ADOT employees and drivers out on the road. 

But, there’s another type of attenuator that acts on the same principle and does just as much to protect motorists...

Instead of being attached to a truck, fixed attenuators are placed at the end of barrier walls on the freeway. You’ll see them near off-ramps or medians and anywhere a barrier wall comes to an end.

Like truck-mounted attenuators, fixed attenuators will take the impact of a vehicle collision and absorb a lot of the energy from a crash.

This is by no means a physics blog, but a basic grasp of how energy works is needed to understand attenuators …

A vehicle’s speed and size determine how much energy it has. Normally, this energy is dissipated by your brakes, which burn off that energy slowly, allowing you to come to a safe stop.

But, if a vehicle stops by crashing into a wall, the energy is dispersed very suddenly, resulting in a car that’s crushed. Attenuators won't exactly give a soft landing, but they do work to dissipate the energy slowly like your brakes do. Various attenuators do this by different methods.

There are a few different types of fixed attenuators; however most of them will look pretty similar to drivers.

Some of the brands are built on a rail and have several compartments that hold Styrofoam blocks to absorb the impact. When a vehicle crashes into it, this type of attenuator, also known as G.R.E.A.T.s and QuadGuards, will collapse a compartment at a time and the blocks will disperse the energy. ADIEM's are made of a gypsum type composite that sit on top of an inclined base.

Another attenuator brand, known as the SCI Smart Cushion, is very similar, but instead of Styrofoam, these types of attenuators use a cable and hydraulic ram to absorb the energy.

Location and the area’s speed limit help determine which brand attenuator gets placed in certain spots.

Once an attenuator is hit by a vehicle, it needs to be fixed. ALERT Commander Tom Donithan says repairs vary depending on the type of attenuator and the severity of the crash.

Repairs to the types of attenuators designed to use Styrofoam blocks call for replacement of the blocks and other components.

Generally, the SCI Smart Cushion requires pulling the system back out and the replacement of a few bolts after it has been hit. The front shield also usually is replaced (see photo above).

Typically ADOT crews repair about five attenuators a month in the Valley region. If they’re badly damaged enough, they’ll need to be replaced and Donithan says that happens about three or four times a year in the Valley.

“They all perform the same duty, which is to protect the public from the blunt end of a barrier wall” said Donithan, adding that attenuators perform their job well and that there are very few times that his team comes across an attenuator crash where the driver doesn’t walk away.  “That’s why they’re out there, because they do their job”

Even though just one driving-related fatality is too many, Arizona motorists can at least be heartened by a new report showing the number of fatal crashes was on the decline in 2010.

You can take a look at the Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts Report for 2010. It shows that 762 people lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes on highways and local roads in the state last year. That’s down from 806 fatalities in 2009 and marks a significant reduction since 1,301 people died in crashes in 2006 (the year Arizona recorded its highest-ever number of traffic fatalities).

The statistics also show that 30 percent of the fatal crashes that occurred last year were alcohol-related (210). That number is down from 35 percent the year prior.

Here are some other findings in ADOT’s 2010 Crash Facts report:

• There were a total of 106,177 crashes recorded in Arizona in 2010
• There was a 20 percent drop in crash fatalities in rural areas from 2009 to 2010 (481 dropped to 382 fatalities)
• There was a 17 percent increase in crash fatalities in urban areas from 2009 to 2010 (325 increased to 380 fatalities).
• While crashes in rural areas (21,375) accounted for 20 percent of all crashes, they accounted for 49 percent of fatal crashes (344) in 2010
• 78 percent of all alcohol-related crashes occurred in urban areas. However, 41 percent of fatal alcohol-related crashes occurred in rural areas
• The highest percentage of drivers involved in fatal crashes (19 percent) was in the 25-34 age group
• Motor vehicle crashes resulted in $2.668 billion in economic losses to Arizona in 2010
• 73.6 percent of all crashes occurred during daylight hours (6 a.m. – 6 p.m.)
• October was the peak month for all crashes (9,603 crashes)

ADOT Director John Halikowski says improving highway safety remains a priority for the agency.

“In an age of limited funding, ADOT is committed to improvements and programs that make our highways safer, ranging from signs that are easier to read day and night, new lanes in strategic locations and working hard to keep the snowplows moving when winter storms hit our high country,” Halikowski said.

Last week when we told you about National Preparedness Month, we briefly detailed the role ADOT plays when it comes to public safety. But, there’s a whole lot more to say on the subject, and who better to write about it than ADOT’s very own Emergency Manager…

Courtney Perrier-Bear has been with ADOT for 12 years and has been the department’s emergency manager since June 2010. That same year she received her master's degree in technology, with an emphasis in emergency management from Arizona State University. Courtney’s experience also includes time as an Arizona Firefighter II, work as an Arizona Division of Emergency Management adjunct instructor and 20 years in environmental, safety, hazardous materials and emergency management. Take a look at the video above to see Courtney in action on the scene of the Wallow Fire back in June.

By Courtney Perrier-Bear
ADOT Emergency Manager

Everything ADOT does supports public safety in some manner…

But, in order for us to be ready for any emergencies or disasters that might affect our highways and interstates, we’ve got to be prepared for anything.

To help the department stay ready and prepared, ADOT has an Emergency Preparedness and Management group that focuses on caring for the public as well as ADOT employees during such emergencies.

ADOT has several responsibilities for response and recovery that are spelled out in the Arizona State Emergency Response and Recovery Plan. We have to be prepared as an agency and as employees to be ready to meet those responsibilities.

Some examples of our activities include:

• Coordinating and participating in internal and external preparedness activities with all levels of government, private entities, and non-governmental agencies such as the Red Cross
• Representing ADOT at the State Emergency Operations Center in the Public Safety Branch
• Integrating items such as training and communication requirements found in the National Response Framework and National Incident Management System into ADOT operations
• Supporting ADOT employees and ADOT business area recovery during and after emergencies
• Responding as an assisting agency to emergencies affecting ADOT with other state agencies, counties, local jurisdictions and private entities during response operation.

These activities help ADOT prepare to assist the citizens of Arizona during an emergency affecting our transportation corridors … but there are plenty of things you can do to be prepared and help ADOT and other response agencies.

• Know the hazards of your area. Sign up for the Arizona Emergency Information Network at azein.gov. Check your local jurisdiction or county web pages for emergency management groups and see what they have to offer. Arizona demographics, climate, and hazard risk vary widely and local plans tailored to the area will aid in your preparedness.
• Create a family emergency plan such as the one found at ready.gov and focus on how you will get out of your area and community if evacuated. You may only have minutes to react as seen in the Texas wildfires over the last few days. Check a map of your area and pick several different routes of escape. You may find that during an emergency such as the Wallow Fire this summer, ADOT may have closed some routes due to dangerous conditions. Learn how to use az511.com before an emergency strikes.
• Decide on your method of evacuation (car, bus, friend’s car, etc) and then plan a second and a third method if the first fails.
• Plan options for where to go. Sure, there will probably be shelters, but what about your pets or family members with functional needs? What will you do if you can’t get to your destination right away?
• Have a communication (such as an out of state relative or friend) and rendezvous point backup plan. What if you are separated from family members and can’t reunite until you are out of danger? How will you make contact and where will you meet up? Will it be safe there based on the hazards in your area?
  Have emergency supplies ready in your car at all times. And don’t forget; keep your car serviced and your fuel topped off.

During emergencies that require evacuation, ADOT will work with other agencies to make sure appropriate evacuation decisions are taking place and that the public is being informed of response-specific actions you will need to take. Help us out by being prepared for such events!

When prices at the pump started to spike a couple years ago, ADOT began looking at ways to cut fuel costs for the 4,200 vehicles in its fleet. And, believe it or not, the idea for a very promising solution came from the roof of a pretend cop car … well, sort of.

Around two years ago ADOT Assistant Director John Nichols was contacted by a company with a new product to demonstrate. It was a stand-in law enforcement vehicle touted as an item that could help ADOT save money. The premise was that it would alleviate the need for a real law enforcement officer at construction sites.

It wasn’t going to work for ADOT, but Nichols had a look and was intrigued by the lights on top of this fiberglass shell of a vehicle. They stayed on even though the car had no engine.

They were powered, he was told, by solar energy and a large pack of lead acid batteries. The solar panels were on the outside of the vehicle and the rest of the mechanism was hidden in the “car.”

It was about this same time that Nichols was involved with ADOT’s efforts to cut fuel costs. In an attempt to find out where fuel-use could efficiently be limited, 117 ADOT vehicles were equipped with a device that provided data on aspects of the vehicle’s operation. It could tell things like average speed, location and even the amount of time ADOT vehicle engines spent idling.

Surprisingly, the data showed that the average vehicle idled about 60 percent of the time it was in use … but with good explanation.

“The reason they idle is because they’re running emergency lighting,” said Nichols, adding when crews are working on the side of the road the lights are crucial to their safety and to the protection of motorists.

Solar-powered emergency lighting is being tested on 50 ADOT vehicles.

The emergency lighting takes a lot of energy to operate and if crews didn’t leave their vehicles running, the lights could kill the battery pretty quickly.

After seeing the solar panels work so well to power lights on the fake vehicle, Nichols wondered if something similar could perform in the same way to power emergency lights on ADOT vehicles and thereby prevent the need for idling and save fuel.

That’s when Nichols asked the company that had come up with the faux police vehicle to work on a solar lighting prototype that might work for ADOT.

“We wanted to test the concept,” Nichols said. “Would solar lighting be able to reduce the amount of idling?”

The company produced a rudimentary prototype and two ADOT vehicles were chosen to test it out – one from maintenance and one from construction.

When the results were in, Nichols says the average idle time went from 60 percent of the time the vehicle was in use, down to 7 percent.

“It was pretty significant,” he said. “That really got our attention.”

But, the prototype wasn’t going to work across the entire fleet. Soon ADOT put out a request for proposals seeking a sleek set-up that would be easy to install and not bulky.

“We challenged the industry … they saw the practicality of this application,” Nichols said.

Eventually a product was settled on to test on a larger scale.

The lights now being tested on 50 ADOT vehicles come with supplemental lithium battery packs that are charged by the solar panels. They also have sensors that can adjust the brightness of the light depending on the time of day. Another bonus is that the new solar lights take only 45 minutes to install. The older non-solar lights take much longer to hook up.

The plan is to try them for an extended period of time, make sure any issues are worked out and then deploy them as standard.

“Our analysis showed they’ll pay for themselves in the first year of use,” Nichols said.

By Kohinoor Kar and Mike Cynecki, Guest Bloggers

The need for pedestrian and bicyclist safety at schools, especially involving young students, cannot be overemphasized. While federal, state and local agencies are encouraging fit and healthy lifestyles by promoting walking and biking to school, the safety of these children should be our highest priority.

Arizona has been a leader in providing a system for safe school crossings, and there is some important information motorists should know while driving around schools in our communities.

Arizona has a unique way to establish low-speed school zone crossings. The system was first established in 1950 through adoption of Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) 28-797. This state law provides a uniform application of 15 mph school zone traffic control that can only be used for elementary and middle schools (kindergarten through eighth grades) in Arizona at authorized school crossings meeting certain minimum criteria.

Rules of the school zone …

• The 15 mph school zones cannot be used at crosswalks that are controlled by STOP signs or traffic signals.
• The state law provides for the use of portable signs and yellow crosswalk markings, and the 15 mph provision is only in effect when the portable signs are placed in the street.
• The school zone signs are placed and removed by crossing guards or school employees under a special operating agreement between the school district and the traffic agency that controls the roadway, and can only be used for legitimate school crossing activities during a normal school day.
• Each 15 mph school zone is preceded by a permanent fluorescent yellow-green pentagon-shaped advance school warning sign showing two walking school children.
• The first portable sign placed in the street states, “NO PASSING, 15 MPH, FINES DOUBLED, SCHOOL IN SESSION,” which is located about 75 to 300 feet in advance of the yellow crosswalk depending on the non-school posted speed limit. This portable sign is placed at the location where the 15 mph speed limit begins. Furthermore, motorists cannot pass any other slower or stopped vehicles between the first portable 15 mph sign to the yellow crosswalk. At the yellow crosswalk, a different portable sign exists which states, “STOP WHEN CHILDREN IN CROSSWALK.”

A few guidelines …

Unlike white crosswalks where drivers are required to “yield and stop if necessary” to pedestrians crossing on their half of the street, ARS 28-797 requires all drivers to stop if anyone (including children, adults or crossing guards) are present anywhere within the yellow school crosswalk when the portable signs are in the street. After all pedestrians exit the yellow crosswalk, drivers may proceed.

Motorists should be very careful while driving near 15 mph school zone crosswalks, especially when the crossing guards are placing or removing the portable signs from the street. The crossing guards are most vulnerable during these times.

In addition, motorists need to be careful any time while driving in neighborhoods near schools or school crossings, especially during the start and end times of the school day. Motorists also need to be careful around school buses and cannot pass them in either direction if they are displaying their STOP paddle while stopped to pick up or drop off students.

Regardless of the time of the year, motorists should be vigilant while driving in neighborhoods, since young children may dart out from behind a parked car or ride their bike in the street without looking for approaching vehicles. Undoubtedly, it is better to be late for an appointment than to race through a neighborhood and experience a tragic crash with a child.

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Kohinoor Kar, Ph.D., P.E., PTOE, a professional engineer with 22 years combined experience in the roadway, traffic and safety field, has been with the State of Arizona for past seven years.

Michael J. Cynecki, P.E. recently retired from the City of Phoenix after a career of 26 years in the Transportation Department, and is currently with the consulting firm of Lee Engineering, LLC.

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors or references cited herein and may not necessarily represent the views of the agencies they are affiliated with. Information contained in this article are for general awareness only and are not intended to substitute for professional advice to any particular person or case. Some of the information might change over time in which case the current practice would supersede all previous practices.