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Impaired driving affects lives
Law enforcement cracks down St. Patrick's Day weekend
This St. Patrick's Day weekend, make sure your luck doesn't run out by planning ahead for a sober ride home should you choose to take part in the celebration. The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety reminds motorists of the various options available to get everyone home safe. Designating a sober driver, calling a cab or using public transportation are just a few of those options.
Preliminary 2017 data indicates that 185 people were killed and 592 were seriously injured in crashes involving at least one substance-impaired driver. Fifty-one of those drivers were under the age of 21. Missouri's Zero Tolerance Law states that drivers under 21 years old caught with even a trace of alcohol in their system will have their licenses suspended.
Besides driving completely sober, motorists are advised to put their cell phones down while driving and always buckle up - everyone, every trip, every time. Buckle Up, Phone Down. "We encourage all drivers to make smart choices so that everyone gets home safe." said MoDOT Highway Safety Director Bill Whitfield.
To learn more, visit the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety website at savemolives.com, or follow us on social media at Save MO Lives. Drive sober or get pulled over.
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Take the challenge: when you get into any vehicle, buckle up your seat belt. If you are a driver, put the cellphone down. Join the 2,080 individuals and 333 businesses who have joined the movement so far.
Click below to accept the challenge!
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2018-2019 Missouri Airport Directory available
The new 2018-2019 Missouri Airport Directory is now available. The directory offers aerial photographs and detailed descriptions of all 122 Missouri public-use airports. It includes information specific to the landing facility as well as local area attractions and services.
"The directory provides useful information for a pilot to plan a flight and to know how to communicate with a particular airport," said MoDOT Administrator of Aviation Amy Ludwig. "Data is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be used for navigational purposes."
A 2012 study by MoDOT revealed Missouri airports contribute 100,621 jobs with a payroll of $ 3.1 billion to the Missouri economy. When all economic activities are considered, total annual economic output of Missouri's system of airports is estimated at $11.1 billion. This represents 4.3 percent of the gross state product.
Explore the 2018-2019 Missouri Airport Directory and Travel Guide online at - Travel Guide.To request a printed copy, call MoDOT's Customer Service at
1-888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636) or email aviation@modot.mo.gov.
The directory is provided free of charge. Funding for this and all state aviation programs comes from aviation fuel taxes and not from general revenue or highway funds.
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New chair, vice chair for Highways and Transportation Commission
 Commissioner Gregg C. Smith (left) is the new chair of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission, and Michael B. Pace is the new vice chair. Rotating the leadership positions, Pace passes the gavel to Smith.
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Gregg C. Smith, Clinton, is the new chair of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission, and Michael B. Pace, West Plains, is the new vice chair. The commission rotated the leadership positions at today's monthly meeting in Jefferson City.
Smith and Pace were both appointed to the commission by former Gov. Jay Nixon -Smith in June 2013 and Pace in January 2015.
Smith is president and owner of Gregg Smith Ford Lincoln, Inc., and Wilder RV. He previously served as commission chair from March 2016 to March 2017. Pace is a retired brigadier general in the Army National Guard and also served nearly 33 years in the Missouri State Highway Patrol, achieving the rank of major. When he retired he was director of the criminal investigation bureau in Jefferson City. Both of their commission terms run through March 1, 2019.
The six-member bipartisan commission governs MoDOT, who is responsible for designing, building, operating and maintaining the state highway system and supporting other transportation modes in Missouri.
Other commission members are Tom Waters, Orrick; John Briscoe, New London; Robert G. Brinkmann, St. Albans; and Terry Ecker, Elmo.
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 Personal testimony
Click the image to watch Jesse, a heavy equipment operator, talk about his near miss in a work zone on Interstate 70 and the importance of not driving distracted.
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This day in transportation history
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Pictured is the Pontchartrain Railroad in its early years depicting a 4-2-0 locomotive and carriages.
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March 15, 1932 - Passenger service on the Pontchartrain Railroad came to an end more than a century after the railway became the first one in New Orleans.
The railway's final freight runs took place three years later. The Pontchartrain Railroad had started transporting both passengers and goods in 1831.
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Traffic safety presentation available
Many corporations have recognized a compelling need to provide education to employees about the dangers of distracted driving, including the use of cell phones while driving and the importance of consistent seat belt use.
That's why MoDOT developed a training program called The hOUR Project. This traffic safety presentation, geared toward business and organizations statewide, stresses the importance of keeping employees safe while working in company vehicles and when they're driving to and from work.
Organizations and civic clubs are invited to share this presentation with their group. The presentation takes about one hour to talk about something that is OUR problem - serious injury crashes and fatalities. To learn more about the hOUR Project and request the presentation for your business or organization, click here - hOUR Project. |
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Fatality update
Did you know... Daylight Savings Time could be a killer? The annual ritual when we trade an hour of morning light for evening brightness might seem like a harmless shift. But each year, on the Monday after this springtime switch, hospitals report a 24 percent spike in heart attack visits around the country. Research has shown how sensitive our bodies are to the whims of changing schedules: in the fall, the shift is a blessing, however, in the spring, it could be a fatal curse. The tragic heart attack trend only lasts about a day, but our bodies may not fully recover for weeks. We're also prone to make more deadly mistakes on the roads. Researchers estimate that car crashes in the US caused by sleepy daylight-saving drivers likely cost 30 extra people their lives between 2002-2011. (Source: Business Insider)
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Click to watch a short video about drowsy driving.
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Statewide Fatality Totals
as reported on the
Missouri State
Highway Patrol website
as of March 11, 2018:
2018 Totals as of 3-11-18 - 137
2017 Totals as of 3-11-17 - 145
2016 Totals as of 3-11-16 - 152
2015 Totals as of 3-11-15 - 132
2014 Totals as of 3-11-14 - 119
2013 Totals as of 3-11-13 - 98
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Give yourself a chance
Buckle Up. Seat belts save lives.
 Wearing a seat belt is your best defense in a traffic crash. Give yourself a chance to live. Always buckle up, everyone, every trip, every time.
The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety wants to remind teens how dangerous a car ride can be if they don't take wearing their seat belt seriously. Law enforcement will be out in full force March 15 -31 to crack down on unbelted teen drivers and save lives.
"The national average for seat belt use is 90 percent. Missouri is below that average at only 84 percent, and teens in Missouri fall even lower at 70 percent," said MoDOT Director of Highway Safety, Bill Whitfield. "We want to see those numbers go up."
Consider some of the reasons you should choose to wear your seat belt:
- Under Missouri's Graduated License Law, permit drivers and all passengers must wear seat belts.
- Of the 196 teenagers killed in traffic crashes from 2014-2016, over 74 percent of them were not buckled up.
- When properly used, seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injuries to front-seat passenger vehicle occupants by 45 percent and reduce the risk of moderate-to-critical injuries by 50 percent.
With no primary seat belt law or all-driver texting ban in Missouri, motorists are asked to personally take the challenge to Buckle Up Phone Down. Put your cell phone down while driving and always make sure you and your passengers are buckled up.
For more information on teen seat belt safety and Buckle Up Phone Down, visit saveMOlives.com, or find us on social media at Save MO Lives. ARRIVE ALIVE.
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Missouri Dept. of Transportation | (888) 275-6636
P.O. Box 270 Jefferson City, MO 65102-0270
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