As Traffic Ramps Back Up, Remember To Drive Safely

The pandemic's lockdown and stay at home orders kept many drivers off U.S. roads and highways. Some of those individuals who did drive, however, took advantage of the lower traffic volume to drive more carelessly, leading to a sharp increase in crash fatalities. Traffic volume is getting back to pre-covid, yet bad driving behaviors are still continuing. As summer is approaching, the construction industry is ramping up to their busiest season of the year. Approximately 85% of people killed in work zones are motorists, not workers, with rear-end crashes being the most common type in road construction areas. Here are the top five contributing circumstances for work zone crashes (not necessarily in order): distracted/inattentive, following too close, improper lane usage, too fast for conditions, and failed to yield.

In 2019, 881 people lost their lives in Missouri traffic crashes. MoDOT has recently rolled out the "Buckle Up Phone Down" campaign. This challenge calls on everyone who enters a vehicle to buckle their safety belt, and if you're a driver, put the cell phone down. Between 2017-19, 60% of vehicle drivers and passengers killed in Missouri weren't wearing seatbelts. The average text message takes five seconds to read; if you're on the road, you know it only takes a split second to look away and have conditions change. Make this challenge a personal goal for yourself every time you climb into a car, and challenge your friends and loved ones as well.