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November 22, 2017
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Your last drink could be someone else's last breath
Drive sober or get pulled over.
 
As you attend that holiday party, or just stop off for a social hour, please remember that your last drink could be someone else's last breath. Drinking and driving is a deadly combination that ruins the holidays for many families.

The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety wants to make sure everyone arrives alive at holiday gatherings this season. The best ways to ensure safe travel are to drive sober and buckle up. 

"Thanksgiving weekend is one of the deadliest holidays of the year in Missouri due to traffic crashes," said Bill Whitfield, Coalition executive committee chair. "Heavy traffic coupled with Missouri weather is enough to contend with, without adding alcohol or drugs to the mix. Driving impaired is never worth the risk of a tragedy."

Over the 2016 Thanksgiving holiday, there were 14 people killed and 48 seriously injured in Missouri traffic crashes. Five of the people killed and 14 of those seriously injured involved a substance-impaired driver.         
     
If you suspect a drunk driver or have a roadside emergency, call 1-800-525-5555 or *55 on a cell phone for assistance from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

We are all part of the solution.  Please consider the following tips:
  • Don't risk it - if you plan to drive, don't drink.
  • Encourage safe driving behaviors among family, friends and co-workers.
  • Choose a designated driver before partying.  A designated driver is someone who drinks NO alcohol at all.
  • Take mass transit, a taxicab or ask a friend to drive you home.
  • Party hosts should include alcohol-free beverages.
  • Spend the night where the activity is being held.
  • Report impaired drivers to law enforcement.
  • Always wear your safety belt - it's your best defense against an impaired driver.
For more information, please visit www.saveMOlives.com. 
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 2,045 people (281 of whom represent businesses) who have joined the movement so far. 

Click below to accept the challenge!

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Did You Know This?
Average statistics for winter operations the past five years:

  • Annual snow removal cost - $45 million
  • Tons of salt used per winter - 129,000 tons
  • Number of workers for winter operations - 3,200
  • Number of snowplows - 1,500
  • Gallons of salt brine used - 3 million gallons
  • Gallons of beet juice used - 581,000 gallons
  • Number of hours worked fighting winter weather - 516,000 hours
  • Number of miles driven on plow trucks - 5.2 million miles
Have You Seen This?
Project Freeway: U.S. 60 Rogersville
Wins national award of excellence

Project Freeway: U.S. 60 Rogersville, the project to upgrade U.S. Route 60 in Rogersville to a freeway, has received the 2017 National Award of Excellence from the Design-Build Institute of America at its annual conference in Philadelphia. 

The project received top honors in the Transportation category.  

Project Freeway also received the first-ever Chairman's Award for Community Impact and Social Responsibility for including community outreach components in the project. The judging committee sited the project's Young Women in Engineering Program, a partnership with the Logan-Rogersville School District, and the Minority Outreach Program at Missouri State University. The outreach programs used the highway project as a laboratory to introduce female high school students to the engineering field and exposed minority students at the university to the highway design and construction industries. 

"I must thank the citizens of the city of Rogersville, Logan-Rogersville School District and Missouri State University," Project Freeway Director/MoDOT Transportation Project Manager Sean Matlock said. "This award was a result of your contributions as well."  

Project Freeway: U.S. 60 Rogersville also received the 2017 Merit Award for Civil Infrastructure from the Mid-America Region of the Design-Build Institute of America on Oct. 19 in Kansas City. 

In addition, the project also was recognized by the Federal Highway Administration and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

To read the full article, visit  MoDOT Southwest District Local News Releases 
Missouri among nine National Roadway Safety Award winners
 
The Federal Highway Administration and Roadway Safety Foundation have announced this year's National Roadway Safety  Awards winners - projects that represent the nation's best examples of innovation in highway safety.

Missouri was selected for committing itself to achieving zero roadway fatalities with a decade-long series of road improvements at 31 high-crash locations statewide.

"These awards recognize real and innovative solutions to some of the nation's biggest safety challenges," said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Brandye L. Hendrickson.  "We commend this year's winners for their efforts in saving lives on our nation's roads and invite others across the country to put these life-saving solutions to work."
 
The other winning states were: Alaska, Delaware, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Virginian and Tennessee. There were 32 total applicants.
 
For complete details on each of the winners, and for more information on the national awards program, visit Roadway Safety Awards.
Know  Before You Go
MoDOT Traveler Information Map

This time of year is a busy travel season for Missourians. Make sure you have all the information you need before heading out the door for holiday travel. MoDOT's website and mobile apps offer motorists several options for keeping up to date on what's happening on Missouri roadways.

Traveler Information Map App
Users of iPhones, iPads and Android mobile devices who update the app will have access to statewide traffic flow information in addition to incidents, closures, work zones, message boards and weather-related road conditions:
 
The Traveler Information Map can also be found on MoDOT's website modot.org.

Text Alerts / Email Notifications
With MoDOT's E-update System you can receive email notifications on road work by county, by specific projects or statewide. You can also sign up for text alerts or email notifications for incidents and emergency closings (by county). It's easy to subscribe and you can change or cancel your subscription anytime E-update.

Real Time Traffic
Real time traffic is available for these urban areas:
St. Louis - http://www.gatewayguide.com/
Kansas City - http://www.kcscout.net/
Springfield - http://www.ozarkstraffic.info/index.html

Customers can always call MoDOT's customer service centers 24/7 for road conditions and other information - 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (275-6636).
Roadway Safety


Fatality Update

Did you know there is a general rule of thumb all drivers should abide by when following another vehicle? The three-second rule.

Tailgating and following too closely creates several bad situations: road rage, you become tense and it decreases the amount of stopping distance you have if the lead vehicle suddenly brakes or stops. Relax, and leave plenty of space - everyone deserves to get to their destinations safely !
 



Statewide Fatality Totals as reported on the Missouri State Highway Patrol website
as of Nov. 19, 2017:

2017 Totals as of 11-19-17 - 805
2016 Totals as of 11-19-16 - 843
2015 Totals as of 11-19-15 - 775
2014 Totals as of 11-19-14 - 663
2013 Totals as of 11-19-13 - 674
2012 Totals as of 11-19-12 - 747


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