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October 12, 2017
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Harvest season is underway on Missouri farms
MoDOT cautions motorists to watch out for slow-moving vehicles
                                                           
It's harvest time on Missouri farms, and MoDOT wants to remind motorists to pay extra attention to farm equipment using and crossing state roadways.

"Harvest season is a busy time of the year for  Missouri's farm families, and MoDOT wants to make it a safe time of year too," said MoDOT Highway Safety and Traffic Engineer Nicole Hood. "Farm equipment vehicles can be slow-moving, and motorists may be surprised when they come up behind one on a Missouri highway."


Missouri's 34,000 miles of state roadways pass alongside the fields of thousands of farms throughout the state. Farm equipment vehicles were involved in 582 crashes in the three years of 2014 through 2016.  These crashes resulted in 17 people being killed and 199 injured. 

"Contrary to what some may believe, these crashes do not just occur on county roadways," Hood said.  "While the majority of these crashes occurred on letter routes and county roads, some crashes also occurred on interstates and other high-speed roadways."

Motorists are advised to slow down when approaching farm vehicles. Be patient as the farm vehicles travel to their field entrances. In passing zones, please wait until it is safe, and pass at a safe distance and speed.
Join the Movement!
Take the challenge: when you get into any vehicle, buckle up your safety belt. If you are a driver, put the cellphone down.  Join the 1,139 people (231) of which represent business) who have taken the pledge so far. 

Click below to accept the challenge!

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Did You Know This?
McKenna testifies at hearing on 'Building a 21st Century Infrastructure'

MoDOT Director Patrick McKenna told federal lawmakers that a long-term and sustainable revenue solution for the Federal Highway Trust Fund is a key component in crafting a new transportation infrastructure package.

Left to right: Ray McCarty, MoDOT Director Patrick McKenna and Congressman Sam Graves

McKenna testified October 11 before the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Members of the subcommittee were seeking stakeholders' perspectives on "Building a 21st Century Infrastructure for America." McK enna testified on behalf of AASHTO.

Click above to watch Director McKenna's full testimony.
Other participants in the hearing included Ray McCarty, president and CEO of the Associated Industries of Missouri;  James Roberts, president and CEO of Granite Construction;  Brent Booker, secretary-treasurer of North America's Building Trades Unions and Peter Rogoff, chief executive officer of Sound Transit.

McKenna asked committee members to take the necessary steps to ensure that all modes of transportation - rail, airports, transit and ports -- have access to additional federal resources that will keep our citizens connected and provide economic growth.

Read the full testimony here - Written Testimony.
 
2017-2018 Missouri aeronautical chart available
 
Missouri's latest aeronautical chart is now available to pilots and other aviation enthusiasts. The 2017-2018 Missouri Aeronautical Chart is produced by MoDOT as a planning tool for pilots and users of Missouri's aviation system. It is available at no charge.

Standard features include airport and navigation data, communication frequencies, a guide to airfield signs and airspace classification, and an updated listing of all aviation weather reporting stations in the state, their frequencies and phone numbers. The map is printed on synthetic paper, which increases durability. Funding to produce the chart comes from aviation fuel taxes through the State Aviation Trust Fund.

Approximately 1.5 million takeoffs and landings are conducted annually at Missouri airports. Aviation in Missouri employs over 100,000 individuals with an annual economic benefit of $11.1 billion. 

Aeronautical charts are available at most local airports in Missouri by contacting MoDOT's customer service center toll-free at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (888-275-6636), via e-mail at aviation@modot.mo.gov or by writing to MoDOT's Aviation Section, P.O. Box 270, Jefferson City, MO  65102.
Roadway Safety
Arriving alive never goes out of style 
Motorists reminded to drive safely around big trucks

Law enforcement agencies throughout North America will engage in heightened traffic safety enforcement and educational outreach as part of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's (CVSA) Operation Safe Driver Week, Oct. 15-21. Throughout the week, enforcement personnel will identify and issue warnings and/or citations to commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers and passenger-vehicle drivers exhibiting unsafe driving behaviors on our roadways.

Examples of dangerous driver behaviors that enforcement personnel will be tracking throughout Operation Safe Driver Week are speeding, distracted driving, texting, failure to use a safety belt while operating a CMV or in a passenger vehicle, traveling too closely, improper lane change, failure to obey traffic control devices, etc.

Commercial motor vehicles are an important part of our nation's economy. They carry goods from coast to coast and make up 20 percent of all traffic on Missouri's interstates.


When crashes involving tractor trailers occur, the disproportionate size of a truck versus a car means those crashes can often involve serious injuries or worse. There's no room for taking chances around big trucks - they require extra room. 

"Human error accounts for over 90 percent of traffic crashes," said Bill Whitfield, chair of the executive committee of the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety. "Please pay attention - buckle up, and put your phone down."

There were 132 people killed and 4,034 injured in Missouri traffic crashes involving a CMV in 2016. Here are some safety tips to help keep everyone safe when sharing the road with large commercial vehicles:

 

-- Don't cut off large trucks or buses when passing. Make sure you can see the top of the truck or bus in your rearview mirror before moving back into your original lane.

 

-- Stay out of the "No Zone." Big trucks have large blind spots on either side and up to 200 feet behind a vehicle. Pass only on the left side. 

 

-- Watch your following distance. Keep a 20-25 car-length distance around trucks.  Can you see the driver in the truck's side mirrors? If not, the driver cannot see you.

 

For additional information regarding roadway safety, or other transportation-related topics, contact the MoDOT Customer Service Center toll free at 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636). For more information on the Operation Safe Driver Campaign, visit http://savemolives.com/campaigns/details/operation-safe-driver-awareness-week.
Seat belt usage on the rise
Missouri's annual survey reveals an 84 percent usage rate

The 2017 Missouri Seat Belt Usage Survey final report, conducted by the Missouri Safety Center and University of Central Missouri, shows that Missouri's overall seat belt usage is up to 84 percent. This is a 2.6 percent increase from 81.4 percent in 2016. The 2016 national average for seat belt usage is 90.1 percent.

Observers recorded data from 560 sites within the 28 Missouri counties on over 15,000 vehicle occupants. The report showed that vehicle passengers and females were more commonly belted, and that occupants of sport utility/crossover and van/minivans also had a higher rate of seat belt usage, at 86.5 percent. Pickup truck drivers and passengers had the lowest usage rate at 69.3 percent. 

"With over 90 percent of traffic crashes attributed to human error, we know that most are preventable. However, a seat belt is your best defense in a vehicle crash," said Bill Whitfield, chair of the executive committee of the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety. "Pay attention, buckle up and never drive distracted or impaired."

Missouri is one of only 15 states that does not have a primary seat belt law. To date, 53 Missouri cities and two counties have adopted their own primary seat belt ordinances to protect their citizens.

For additional information regarding roadway safety, or other transportation-related topics, contact the MoDOT Customer Service Center toll free at 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636), or visit www.saveMOlives.com.
Get ready to accept the challenge

Remember that Friday, Oct. 20, 2017 is "Buckle Up/Phone Down Day." The challenge is simple: when you get into any vehicle, buckle up your safety belt. If you are a driver, put the cellphone down. Turn it off if you have to. No texting and no talking unless hands free. By buckling up and putting your phone down - even for one day - you will be doing your part to make Missouri's roads safer. Let's save lives and turn this day into a week, a month and eventually every trip, every time. 

Texting increases the risk of car crashes by 50 percent. Sixty-seven percent of this year's fatalities involved unbuckled drivers or passengers that may have survived if they were only properly restrained. The loss of one life is too many.

Join the movement - stand up and be counted on Buckle Up/Phone Down Challenge Day Friday, Oct. 20. 

Take the challenge here - Buckle Up/Phone Down.

Fatality Update

Did you know... it's mandatory for CMV drivers to use a safety belt when operating a CMV ....however in Missouri during 2016.... 21 CMV drivers were killed in crashes and 72% of them were unbuckled!
 


Statewide Fatality Totals  as reported on the  Missouri State Highway Patrol  website as of Oct. 9, 2017:

2017 Totals as of 9-24-17 - 674
2016 Totals as of 9-24-16 - 730
2015 Totals as of 9-24-15 - 643
2014 Totals as of 9-24-14 - 562
2013 Totals as of 9-24-13 - 572
2012 Totals as of 9-24-12 - 645

Have You Seen This?

Missouri Dept. of Transportation | (888) 275-6636
P.O. Box 270 Jefferson City, MO 65102-0270