If you drove on a state highway in Arizona last weekend, there’s a good chance you saw wildfire prevention messages on overhead signs.

The messages read, “Parking in tall brush can start a wildfire,” and, “Don’t drag chains, one spark can start a wildfire.”

Some drivers, however, didn’t take the messages seriously. At least two of the 46 brushfires that ignited during the Independence Day weekend (July 4-7) were caused by vehicles that drove off-road and into brush, according to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.

A vehicle’s undercarriage is very hot and when it’s near or in contact with dry shrubs or tall grass, the vegetation can begin to smolder and then ignite, starting a brush fire that can quickly turn into a wildfire.

Already, the number of acres burned this year in Arizona is double compared to last year. Let’s all do our part and follow these tips that can prevent our vehicles from igniting a wildfire:

• Check and secure tow chains, and never substitute parts when towing.
• Make sure nothing is hanging beneath your vehicle and dragging on the pavement.
• Check tire pressure before you travel. Exposed wheel rims can cause sparks.
• Don’t park in tall grass, as the heat from a vehicle’s undercarriage can start a fire.

For more information on how to prevent fires, please visit wildlandfire.az.gov.

By John Halikowski / ADOT Director

We've revealed the winners in ADOT’s third annual Safety Message Contest. Three years we’ve been running this engaging contest.

That’s 21 dog years.

What?

I make that connection because one of the winning messages relates to man’s best friend. Submitted by Mitzie Warner of Chandler, the safety message “Drive like the person your dog thinks you are,” received about a third of the 5,000 votes cast, burying the other 14 finalists like a favorite bone.

Though I’m a cat owner – lovable Mr. Squeakers has been part of our family for 11 years – I understand the desire to live up to being the purr-fect people our pets believe us to be. Making safe and smart decisions behind the wheel, like choosing not to drive recklessly, distracted or impaired, is a great start.

The other winning message, submitted by David Posey of San Tan Valley, was a clever play on words: “Drink and drive? Meet police and see new bars.” Both winning messages will be displayed on overhead messages this weekend statewide.

Drive safely on the roads this week. Make your dog proud.

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

By Doug Pacey / ADOT Communications

You’re outdoing yourself, Arizona.

Within 24 hours of launching our Safety Message Contest, we’d received more than 1,400 entries. After 48 hours the total number of submissions had climbed to 2,000.

We’re thrilled to see so many taking an interest in encouraging drivers to make better decisions behind the wheel. One of our goals in posting quirky safety messages on overhead signs is to start conversations about safe driving and this contest does that, too.

Skimming through the entries, we saw personal stories and were reminded why it’s important for all of us to make better choices while driving. Distracted drivers, speeders and people who don’t use turn signals have been popular topics. And some referenced bands and singers that will perform concerts in Phoenix soon, the most recent Avenger’s movie and Game of Thrones.

It’s not too late to enter. Entries can be submitted through Monday, April, 29. After that, we’ll whittle down the submissions to 15 finalists and let the public vote for their favorite.

By Dani Weber / ADOT Communications

Not all freeway emergencies look like crashes. Sometimes they look like a vehicle slowly drifting to where it shouldn’t be.

Thanks to Jose Baeza, an ADOT employee who helps oversee litter pickup, landscaping, graffiti removal and freeway sweeping, two motorists were rescued from a silent emergency recently near a Loop 303 interchange ramp.

At around 2 a.m., Baeza was inspecting sweeper operations when he noticed a car at the gore point with its brake lights on. He stopped and when he knocked on the driver-side window, the two elderly occupants didn’t respond.

The car began to move and hit the wall, so Baeza moved his truck and put on his lights to warn traffic coming onto the on-ramp. The driver eventually awoke, and he seemed confused and disoriented. Baeza advised him to put the car in park, turn off the ignition and hand over his keys. The elderly woman continued to be nonresponsive.

Baeza contacted ADOT's Traffic Operations Center and remained at the scene until the Phoenix Fire Department and Department of Public Safety arrived. Both motorists appeared to be suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning and were taken to the hospital.

“We have CPR training to prepare for incidents like this, but this is the first time it’s ever happened to me,” Baeza said. “I was nervous at first, but I stayed until the fire department and DPS got there, and I feel good about it. It could’ve been a lot worse.”

John Zandler, who supervises Baeza and others in the maintenance unit, said, "From my point of view, it’s all too easy to pass those cars by when you’re focused on your work. Baeza went out of his way to help them."

Thanks to Baeza’s attention, commitment to serving Arizona’s public and quick thinking, both motorists received the medical attention they needed and have fully recovered.

By Tom Herrmann / ADOT Communications

Nobody’s perfect. But Arizona Department of Transportation officers performing safety inspections and Mexican truck drivers who have completed the International Border Inspection Qualification program are oh so close.

By the end of February, more than 600 truck drivers from Mexico will have completed a two-day ADOT safety course since the program began in July 2017.

Those drivers have crossed the border more than 11,000 since completing their training. All but 31 of those crossings have come with no significant safety violations. That’s a success rate of 99.7 percent. In December, the success rate peaked at 99.9 percent.

ADOT’s Enforcement and Compliance Division officers are the first in the U.S. to travel south of the international border for safety training that teaches drivers everything from how to secure a load to when brakes need to be replaced.

When the program started, ADOT officers scheduled just four sessions over a six-month period. High demand for the program has led to 25 sessions in about 19 months, with nine more events scheduled between now and September.

One important factor in the program’s success: WhatsApp. Qualified drivers can use the smartphone application to speak with inspectors before approaching the border. About 80 percent of those calls have identified violations that were fixed before the inspections, saving drivers and their companies time and money.

IBIQ is not one-and-done. This year ADOT is launching a requalification program, a one-day workshop that allows already-qualified drivers to refresh their skills and learn about new developments. Seven classes are scheduled between March and September.

What’s in it for Arizona drivers? Economic growth, and safety.

Economy: Less time at the port means more trucks bringing commercial products into Arizona every day. That means more business for border communities and for the hundreds of companies that support the trucking industry across Arizona.

Safety: It’s more than just having qualified drivers bring safer trucks across the border. ADOT officers can now spend more of their time inspecting vehicles that are more likely to have bad brakes, worn tires or other violations.

A boost to Arizona’s economy. Serious safety violations are prevented. Safe trucks spend less time at the port of entry and more time on the road. About as close to perfect as you’ll find.

By Doug Nintzel / ADOT Communications

It wasn’t the Oscars, and, more importantly, it was about highway safety. As the video above shows, ADOT was in the spotlight at a recent ceremony in Washington D.C., when a national group honored one of the agency’s creative safety solutions.

The National Operations Center of Excellence presented its Best Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) Project Award to ADOT’s US 60 Superstition Freeway Improvement Project in Tempe. Representatives of ADOT’s own Transportation Systems Management and Operations division were on hand to accept the honor.

For the Superstition Freeway project, an ADOT team evaluated a section of westbound US 60 between Mill Avenue and the I-10 interchange where a concerning number of crashes, most of them minor, had resulted backups during busy periods.

In collaboration with the city of Tempe and the Arizona Department of Public Safety, ADOT adjusted lane striping and installed new signs along that stretch of westbound US 60 in summer 2018. The result: improved traffic flow in the left lanes, leading to a significant reduction in crashes. The video features an ADOT engineer who worked on this project explaining its effects.

The National Operations Center of Excellence serves as a nationwide resource for the Transportation Systems Management and Operations community. Its partners include the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the Intelligent Transportation Society of America and Institute of Transportation Engineers. The Federal Highway Administration also supports the effort.

ADOT’s Interstate 17 Wrong-Way Vehicle Alert System being tested in Phoenix also received a national runner-up award in the competition.

By Ryan Harding / ADOT Communications

161.

That’s the number of miles of US 93 between Wickenburg and the Nevada state line that have been upgraded to four-lane divided highway. And we're launching a $35.5 million project that will add nearly 4 more miles to that total.

This work just north of Wikieup, between Carrow and Stephens, will connect two sections of highway that have already been divided. That will create a 13-mile continuous stretch of divided four-lane highway from milepost 108, about 15 miles south of I-40, and milepost 121 near Wikieup. That’s the number of miles of US 93 between Wickenburg and the Nevada state line that have been upgraded to four-lane divided highway. And we're launching a $35.5 million project that will add nearly 4 more miles to that total.

Keeping a future Interstate 11 in mind, ADOT has invested more than half a billion dollars over the past 20 years to turn the primary route between Phoenix and Las Vegas into modern four-lane divided highway. Click on the image at right for a detailed look at what's been completed and what's currently planned.

The upgrade to a four-lane divided highway improves traffic flow, supports the movement of freight and enhances safety through this heavily traveled area. The entire northern segment of US 93 from Kingman to the Nevada state line (mileposts 1 to 68) is now a four-lane divided highway following the completion of a $71 million project in 2010.

Work is expected to launch in the next few weeks, with the majority taking place off of the highway and not impacting motorists for some time.

You can read more about our past, current and planned work for US 93 on our projects website.

By Garin Groff /ADOT Communications

After an extended stretch of dry weather, Arizona drivers should prepare for driving in the rain – or in snow at higher elevations – late this week and into the weekend.

For much of the state, rain will be the main concern. Our tips for driving in on wet roads include:

• Allow extra time to reach your destination safely.
• Create a space cushion by reducing your speed and maintaining a safe distance between your vehicle and the one in front of you.
• Avoid sudden braking, which can cause you to slide on wet pavement. Instead, take your foot off the gas pedal and brake slowly.
• Avoid areas where water is pooling in travel lanes; if possible use center lanes and drive in the tracks of the vehicle ahead of you.
• Stay alert for rocks knocked onto roadways by storm runoff on slopes.
• Before you drive, inspect your windshield wipers and replace them if necessary.
• Turn on your headlights while driving.
• Be cautious of hydroplaning. This occurs when a thin layer of water accumulates between your tires and the asphalt and your vehicle loses contact with the roadway. You might suddenly feel your vehicle sliding or drifting because you’ve lost traction. If you feel you are hydroplaning, ease your foot off the gas pedal until you regain traction. Do not brake suddenly. If you are sliding or drifting, gently turn your steering wheel in the direction of your slide.

If you’re driving in the snow:

• Slow down and drive according to road conditions, including operating at slower speeds and avoiding sudden acceleration on snow and ice.
• Leave extra room between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you.
• Stay at least four vehicle lengths behind snowplows.
• Be prepared with extra clothes and gloves, maintain at least a three-quarter-full tank of gas, keep your cell phone charged and pack extra drinking water, some food and all necessary medications. Pack items that would help in case you encounter an unscheduled highway closure.
• Pack an emergency kit with blankets, a flashlight, ice scraper, small shovel, container of sand for traction and hazard warning lights or reflectors.
• Beware of black ice – especially at night when melting snow can turn to slippery ice. And remember, ice tends to form on bridges first and can be hard to see.

Remember that ADOT has numerous safety tips available on its website for driving during weather events.

Real-time highway conditions are available on ADOT’s 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 available at ADOTAlerts.com will send critical information directly to app users in affected areas – where possible, in advance of alternate routes.

By David Woodfill / ADOT Communications

It's a winter tradition: When Arizona's high country gets a fresh blanket of snow, many folks head up to throw snowballs, ski and more.

An associated tradition is heavy traffic around areas popular for snow play, especially US 180 northwest of Flagstaff. At day's end, that highway can see big delays as people head back toward Flagstaff. The photo above shows the backup near the Arizona Snowbowl turnoff a few years back.

If you're heading to play in the snow, have a great time. But please keep safety in mind, starting with being prepared for extended time in winter weather. Pack an emergency kit that includes blankets, warm clothing, food, water, cat litter or sand for traction, a first-aid kit, a fully charged cellphone and a flashlight with extra batteries. ADOT's Know Snow page has more tips for you and your vehicle, including keeping your gas tank full or close to it.

Also, keep in mind that parking on highway shoulders to play in the snow not only can slow traffic but is dangerous for you, your passengers and other drivers. Highway shoulders are for emergencies only. First responders may need to use that shoulder, and ADOT's snowplows can hurl show and ice far off a highway. So please use designated parking areas.

Finally, check the weather forecast, research road conditions by visiting az511.gov or calling 511, and consider delaying travel if snow is falling. If you decide to go anyway while it's snowing, be prepared for the possibility of delays and closures caused by poor conditions and slide-offs. And give ADOT's snowplows plenty of room to work, staying at least four vehicle lengths behind and never passing a plow.

We don't want to spoil the fun that is building a snowperson; we just want you to plan ahead and use common sense on your trip.

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

As 2019 dawns, we're taking a minute to look back on safety messages we posted in 2018, along with your reactions.

Thank you! A sign that is long over due. Stay to right except to pass..

— MX Girls (@MXTipsandTricks) November 21, 2018

While all of ADOT’s message boards focus on safety, we often throw in few pop culture references. There was a nod to the Swifties when pop star Taylor Swift was in town.

Taylor Swift is performing tonight in Phx and @ArizonaDOT did it again! pic.twitter.com/9WhafFjqfL

— Stella Inger KGUN9 (@StellaInger) May 9, 2018

And, we didn’t leave out country fans when Tim McGraw and Shania Twain performed.

We want some more of it
Drive safely on your way to see @TheTimMcGraw and @FaithHill #soul2soul concert today in Phoenix. pic.twitter.com/MToS7olZI0

— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) July 20, 2018

We hope you enjoyed the message boards this past year and remember to focus on safe driving.

With a new year, we're sure to have more safety messages. Until then, enjoy the video below with a few of ADOT’s safety signs that were displayed on state highways in 2018.