Itasca County Toward Zero Deaths

Have you checked your tires lately? Failing to check your tires can lead to a serious or fatal crash. Taking a few seconds to check before getting behind the wheel can pay off, helping you to get to your destination safely.

Please continue to remind your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers that we all have the power to make choices that keep everyone alive.

Have a holiday party where alcohol is served? Make a plan for a sober ride home ahead of time.

A SOBER RIDE
THE PERFECT
HOLIDAY GIFT

It's Older Driver Safety Awareness Week (December 4-8). We remind you that simply getting older doesn't mean it's time to hang up your keys, but you should evaluate how you - or loved ones - drive. Check out www.nhtsa.gov for free educational resources.

Home | NHTSA Get resources and info about staying safe on America’s roads. And, find out if there’s a recall on your car or how to report a vehicle safety problem.

Watch for black ice!
Motorists should remember to:
• Slow down on bridges, overpasses and tunnels, and in the early morning when the air temperature is rising faster than the pavement temperature.
• Avoid applying brakes on ice as it may cause a vehicle to skid.
• Do not use cruise control during winter driving conditions.
• Use a safe speed for winter driving conditions, regardless of the posted speed limit.
• Keep a safe stopping distance from the vehicle in front of you.
• Be alert.

Black ice is an invisible hazard that catches drivers off-guard and contributes to crashes, so be sure to keep both hands on the steering wheel, eyes on the road and attention on driving.

From our family to you and yours: the holidays can be a time of increased festivities. Please, if you are going to drink or use any substances that can lead to impairment have a plan for a safe and sober ride. We don’t want your celebration to end with a visit from us on the roadways. Happy Thanksgiving and be safe.

Don't be a turkey Thanksgiving week...

A DWI is no Holiday
• Plan for a safe ride: designate a sober driver, use a safe, alternative transportation option, or stay at the location of the celebration.
• Speak up: offer to be a designated driver or be available to pick up a loved one anytime, anywhere. If you see an impaired person about to get behind the wheel, get them a safe ride home.
• If you plan to drive, refrain from drugs, whether legally or illegally obtained. Driving high is a DWI.
• Some medications are fine on their own but can impair you when mixed with other medications or alcohol - even a small amount. Learn about the interactions and talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
• Buckle up: the best defense against an impaired driver.
• Report impaired driving: call 911 when witnessing impaired driving behavior. Be prepared to provide location, license plate number and observed dangerous behavior.

There is extra enforcement from November 22 through New Year's.

Upcoming Smart Driver Course. See flyer below for details. Stay safe on the roads. They can be frost covered in the mornings.

Crash Responder Safety Week is November 13-17. Please help protect those who protect you, from police, fire, ems, tow truck drivers, county and state road workers to others. Slow down, move over and stay alert for traffic incidents.

The Thanksgiving Holiday has historically been one of the most dangerous times of the year on our roadways. Remember to buckle up, even on short trips, even in the back seat, even if you have air bags. This isn't just for your safety but for everyone in the vehicle with you.

With the time change, we drive in the dark longer. We also have the weather changes to deal with, rain, sleet, snow. Here are some tips from the National Safety Council:
• Aim your headlights correctly and make sure they're clean.
• Dim your dashboard lights.
• Look away from oncoming lights.
• If you wear glasses, make sure they're anti-reflective.
• Clean the windshield to eliminate streaks.
• Slow down to compensate for limited visibility and reduced stopping time.

When there's fog, drive with your lights on! That goes for snow, sleet, rain, dusk, dawn... if you can see other vehicles better because of their lights, yours should be on too.

Don't veer for deer!
Tips to Avoid Deer Crashes:
• Drive at safe speeds and always buckle up.
• Be especially cautious from 6-9 p.m., when deer are most active.
• Use high beams as much as possible at night, especially in deer-active areas.
• Never swerve to avoid a deer. Swerving can cause motorists to lose control and travel off the road or into oncoming traffic.
• Watch for the reflection of deer eyes and for deer silhouettes on the shoulder of the road. If anything looks slightly suspicious, slow down.
• Slow down in areas known to have a large deer population, such as areas where roads divide agricultural fields from forest land; and whenever in forested areas between dusk and dawn.
• Deer do unpredictable things — they stop in the middle of the road when crossing; cross and quickly re-cross back; and move toward an approaching vehicle.

Drive the speed limit is not a suggestion. Slow down and help save lives.

Motorcyclists Safety Tips to Avoid Deer Crashes:
• Avoid night and low-light riding periods. Be especially cautious from 6 - 9 p.m., when deer are most active.
• A rider’s best response when encountering a deer is to use both brakes for maximum braking and to keep your eyes and head up to improve your chances of keeping the bike up.
• Use high beams as much as possible at night, especially in deer-active areas.
• Watch for the reflection of deer eyes and for deer silhouettes on the shoulder of the road. If anything looks slightly suspicious, slow down.
• Slow down in areas known to have a large deer population – such as areas where roads divide agricultural fields from forest land.
• High visibility gear can assist other drivers in seeing you better; whether it’s while making an evasive maneuver to avoid a deer or laying on the roadway after impacting a deer.

ME, HI, I’M THE
PROBLEM - IT’S ME
DRIVE SAFE SPEEDS

When it comes to driving safely other than yourself, who do you do it for?

It's Child Passenger Safety Week!
• In Minnesota, all children must be in a child restraint until they are 4 feet 9 inches tall, or at least age 8, whichever comes first.
• Rear-facing seats - Children should ride in a rear-facing car seat until they have reached the height and weight limits allowed by the car seat manufacturer.
• Forward-facing seats with harness - Toddlers and preschool-age children who have reached the height and weight limits of the rear-facing car seat should use a forward-facing seat with harness until they reach the weight limit of the harness allowed by the car seat manufacturer.
• Booster seats - School-age children who have reached the height and weight limits of the forward-facing seat can sit on a booster seat. It must be used with a lap and shoulder belt.
• Seat belts - Children 8 years old or have reached 4 feet 9 inches tall can buckle up with seat belts. Your child is ready for an adult seat belt when they can sit with their back against the vehicle seat, knees bent comfortably and completely over the vehicle seat edge without slouching, and feet touching the floor.
• Children under age 13 should always ride in the back seat. The air bags in the front seating position are designed for an adult passenger.
• In Minnesota, parents and caregivers can go online to schedule a car seat check in their area throughout the year. Additional information is at BuckleUpKids.dps.mn.gov.

Let's go, Barbie... Buckle up. Yes, you too, Ken!

There are still a lot of riding days left until winter... be safe.

Motorists:
• Slow down and use caution when approaching farm equipment. Don’t assume the equipment operator can see you.
• Watch for debris dropped by farm equipment.
• Wait for a safe place to pass.
• Drive with headlights on.

Farm equipment operators:
• Use lights and flashers to make equipment more visible.
• Use slow-moving vehicle emblems on equipment traveling less than 30 mph.
• Avoid encouraging or signaling motorists to pass. Pull over when safe and let traffic pass.
• Consider using a follow vehicle when moving equipment, especially at night.
• Pick up any debris left on the highway by the equipment.

Please remember to watch for slow-moving farm equipment. Be patient, be kind and share the road. Together, we can drive Minnesota toward zero deaths.

Bikers love attention.
Notice them!

Motorists:
• On undivided roads, motorists traveling both directions must stop at least 20 feet from a school bus that is displaying red flashing lights and an extended stop arm.
• Traffic traveling the opposite direction on a divided roadway with a separating median such as a cement wall or boulevard is not required to stop.
• Motorists should slow down, pay attention and anticipate school children and buses, especially in neighborhoods and school zones.

School Bus Safety! School is back in session. Keep a watchful eye out for kids both walking and teen driving.
Stop for School Buses: It's the Law!
• State law requires all vehicles to stop for school buses when the bus driver activates the flashing lights and has the stop arm fully extended.
• Drivers who violate the law face a $500 fine.
• Drivers can face criminal charges for passing a school bus on the right, passing when a child is outside the bus, or injuring or killing a child.

Move Over Law change: "stalled or disabled vehicles" was added effective July 1.

Minnesota’s Ted Foss Move Over Law was named in honor of State Patrol Trooper Ted Foss. Foss was killed in 2000 by a passing vehicle during a traffic stop on the shoulder of I-90 in Winona County.

The law states:
• When traveling on a road with two or more lanes going the same direction, drivers must move over one full lane from stopped emergency vehicles with flashing lights activated — ambulance, fire, law enforcement, maintenance, construction vehicles, tow trucks and stalled or disabled vehicles.
• Reduce speed if unable to safely move over a lane.
• Failing to take these actions endangers personnel who provide critical and life-saving services. Fines can exceed $100.

Please keep this in mind so that our roadway workers and emergency responders can go home safely to their families.

DRINK & DRIVE?
MEET POLICE AND
SEE NEW BARS

Planning on having a get together around Labor Day? Designate a sober driver, use a safe, alternative transportation option, or stay at the location of the celebration.

Thank you to the people who stopped by yesterday while we were at the fair with the seat belt convincer. Sheriff Dasovich even gave it a try. Buckle up, Itasca!

Last week was National Stop on Red Week.
These simple tips can keep drivers, motorcyclists, pedestrians and bicyclists safe at intersections.
• Avoid distractions like loud music or conversation.
• Stop at the painted stop bar or before the crosswalk; if no pavement markings are present, stop before the stop sign.
• Scan for hazards before entering the intersection by looking left, right, straight ahead and then left again.
• Watch the vehicles in front of you, behind you, beside you and in oncoming traffic.
• Never drive around a lowering gate or ignore signals at a railroad crossing.

Off to the lake?
Please drive sober, for goodness sake.
(This goes for the roads and the water!)

Hurt your helmet, not your head. This goes for biking and motorcycling.
NHTSA estimates that motorcycle helmets reduce the liklihood of a crash fatality by 37 percent.

You know what they say about Minnesota having 2 seasons, winter and road construction, well during road construction, slow down, be careful, and be patient!

Watch your speed on the roads. We all want this Fourth of July to be a safe and fun one with family and friends.

When safety is first,
you last.

Ever wonder the correct way to turn left at a divided intersection with a median?

Everyone can help make our roadways safer by making smart choices behind the wheel.
• Cell phones. Obey the hands-free cell phone law. Better yet, turn off the cell phone and place it out of reach to avoid grasping for it when you receive a notification.
• Navigation. If you use GPS, designate a passenger to direct your path or map it out beforehand if driving alone.
• Eating and drinking. Instead of eating/drinking while driving, take a break in a parking lot or pull over where it is safe and legal.
• Children. Kids are more distracting than you think. Teach them how to be good passengers.

Extra law enforcement will be on the roads this week as part of Click it or Ticket. We would like to remind drivers and passengers of the life-saving importance of buckling up. Let's have a safe summer, Itasca!

Thank you to Greenway High School for allowing TZD to present last Friday. We hope you had a fun and safe prom!

Home - Greenway Public School District Community.Pride.Success

TZD Tuesday: ATV Safety!
The Golden Rules of OHV (off-highway vehicles) safety:
• Ride only on designated trails and at a safe speed.
• Ride on the right.
• Wear goggles, long sleeves, long pants, over-the-ankle boots, gloves, and DOT-compliant helmets.
• Avoid riding on paved roads except to cross when done safely and permitted by law.
• Ride sober.
• Carry no more than one passenger on an OHV specifically designed for two people, and never carry a passenger on a single-rider OHV.
• Ride an OHV that’s right for your size.
• Actively supervise younger riders. OHVs are not toys.
• If an OHV comes factory-installed with seat belts, wear them.
• Take a hands-on and online safety course.
Slow down, pay attention and get certified to ensure your ride results in memories, not tragedy.