Expect Congestion....

If You're Planning to Travel East for College Game Day in Pullman Delays are Likely... 

What is going on?

The bridge on SR26 will be closed for six weeks due to the rapid deterioration to the deck. Repairs were originally planned for Spring of 2019, but bridge office technicians have decided to move the project up in priority rather than allow the bridge to endure another winter.

The 32 mile detour around the construction site will slow down Cougar Fans and any other travelers making the trip to Southeast Washington. Be aware that construction on the SR 26 bridge is expected until November 21st, 2018.

This construction comes at a time when a large number of WSU Cougar Fans are likely to be traveling across the state for College Game Day. It is important that drivers are prepared and aware of unavoidable traffic delays.

An Expected 75,000 people are expected to arrive on the Palouse this weekend   

Between bridge repairs, College Game Day hype, and the University of Idaho's Homecoming game taking place this weekend on the Palouse, patience will pay off when you finally arrive in the pullman area. You can expect a large influx of people crowding the streets throughout the region. Stadium Way from Grimes Way to Cougar Way will be closed from Midnight -after the football game on Saturday.

Expect RV's, pedestrians, congestion throughout the region. Since 2016 SR26 and Highway 195 have had over one thousand traffic incidents. Lets not contribute to that number this weekend because we are in a hurry. The roads to the Palouse are narrow without much of a shoulder, and few passing lanes. Game Day in Pullman is not worth your life. Plan ahead, slow down, #besafecougs. 

Upcoming SR 26 Road Closure & Safety Event...

SR26 Road Closure will Cause Detour...

Traveling from Western Washington to the Southeast Region? Get ready for a six week traffic project that will cause a 32 mile detour on SR26 ...

Despite being patched, an 8-foot by 4-foot hole in the SR 26 bridge east of Othello has been placed on the immediate priority list of Washington State construction projects. Risk of bridge failure has advanced the project to Monday, October 15th with the goal of completion proposed for Wednesday November 21st in anticipation of another harsh winter.

How does this Affect You? 

October 20th -WSU vs. University of Oregon
November 3rd -WSU vs. The University of California
November 17th - WSU vs. The University of Arizona

The travel project will add approximately 15 additional minutes to the trip, if you would normally be driving through the portion of road utilizing the SR 26 bridge. Be prepared for congestion and pay attention to workers on the roadway. Detour signs will be placed along SR17, 260, and US route 395 which will add about 14 miles to your trip to southeast Washington.

How should you plan? 

Eastbound traffic will continue on I-90 until just beyond Ritzville where traffic will continue south on SR 261 until SR26. Westbound traffic on SR 26 from Pullman will turn north at Washtucna onto SR 261 to I-90.

WSU Safety Fair 

Don't have a lot of experience driving in the snow? No problem! 

Washington State University is hosting it's annual Safety Fair on Tuesday, October 16th from 10:30am - 1:30pm in the CUB Senior Ballroom. The Palouse Driver Safety Campaign will be hosting a regional driver education teacher to help show you how to put chains on this upcoming winter. Hubert Hogaboam will provide his extensive experience to help with any questions or concerns you might have about winter driving and driving safety. Included in the Safety Fair, will be information about how to change a tire, hooking up jumper cables, and general safety tips that you may be unaware of. Recommendations on driver safety and safety procedure vary depending on the type of vehicle you drive. Educate yourself now so that you know how to respond before you have a traffic incident that leaves you stranded.

For travel information including live road cams, weather advisories, and construction updates, visit us at www.safepalousedrivers.com 

Like and share us on our Facebook page for travel tips and updates.

July Update

The Palouse Driver Education Campaign has been participating in a lot of events since the last blog post. Beginning in June, our office has been attending Washington State University Alive sessions and have met many wonderful new students and parents. We would like to thank WSU Transportation Services for allowing us to share their table space.

The PDEC has also participated in the Pullman Safety Fair along with WSU Transportation Services, Pullman Fire Department, WSU Police Department, and other agencies. The Safety Fair served as the debut of our driving simulator which both parents and kids enjoyed.

Be sure to check out www.safepalousedrivers.com to see a list of events, dates with expected increased traffic, road and construction updates, and everything else you need to drive safely in the Palouse.

The next events we will be participating in are as follows. Be sure to come check us out, take the pledge to help end distracted and drowsy driving, and maybe try out the driving simulator.

Aug 14- WSU Resource Fair
Aug 17- WSU Picnic
Aug 17-18th- National Lentil Festival
September 6-9th- Palouse Empire Fair

Palouse Driver Education Campaign Video

The Palouse Driver Education Campaign will be making a video soon. We will be interviewing local police departments, first responders, sheriffs office, and anyone else involved in responding to crashes to the best of our abilities. We hope to use this video as a reminder to the WSU and UofI community that distracted driving and drowsy driving are a huge danger when you are behind the wheel. If you have questions or comments you would like us to ask or answer in this video, please leave a comment and share.

Here are samples of some of the questions we will be asking
- "What's the worst distracted driving offense you've seen?"
- "What is your response to people who mention it's unfair for emergency departments to use laptops and other communication devices?"
- "How do you feel about distracted driving and what would you do to prevent it?"
- "Do you see any correlation between out of state students being a higher percentage of distracted driving?"
- "What time of year and how often do you deal with drowsy drivers?"

Please be sure to visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/safepalousedrivers/ for more information on our campaign.
For all your travel information needs to and from Pullman be sure to visit www.safepalousedrivers.com

Go COUGS!! BESAFECOUGS!!

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Summer Construction and US195 Passing Lanes

Thank you WSDOT, WA state legislatures and other key stakeholders for inviting us to the groundbreaking ceremony of US195 passing lanes. We would like to thank all who worked tirelessly to bring 195 passing lanes a reality. Construction on Highway 195 from Colfax to Spokane began on April 18, 2018. This project will add new passing lanes along the US195 corridor as part of an expansion to help reduce the number of collisions and improve the user safety. Two passing lanes have already been built in 2017 while this new construction will add four more to a total of six. The construction will affect many who commute to Pullman through US195, including many WSU professors and students. Please expect delays, plan ahead, and be sure to visit our website at www.safepalousedrivers.com for live updates and traffic cams if you plan to travel locally or around the state. Also be sure to follow, like, and share us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/safepalousedrivers/

We would like to thank our state and local partners in our driver education campaign- the Washington State Patrol, Pullman PD, WSU PD, Colfax PD, Whitman County Sheriff's office, City of Pullman, Washington State University, Whitman County, Palouse RTPO, Our legislatures and many more who worked through many different ways to bring the added safety for all the users of US195. Now we will work towards getting SR26 passing lanes lined up earlier than 2024!! Hope we all benefit from this effort to keep our users safe and sound!!

Go COUGS!! BESAFECOUGS!!

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May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month

Safety is a constant theme of our Palouse Driver Education Campaign, but sometimes appropriate to bring the broad topic to a focus. The weather is getting better, and with May deemed National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month by the National Safety Council, a conversation for two wheeled vehicles should be had. Here are some statistics and other talking points:

2016 Statistics

• Of all registered vehicles on US roads, motorcycles make up 3%.
• Motorcycle miles account for only .7% of all vehicle miles traveled in the US.
• 4,976 motorcycle riders and passengers died in crashes.
• Non-fatal injuries caused by crashes was upwards of 88,000.
• Of all traffic fatalities, motorcyclists accounted for 13%.
• 91% of motorcycle crash fatalities were male
• 26% of motorcycle crash fatalities were impaired by alcohol.
• Nearly half of all collisions occur at intersections.

Talking Safety to Riders

• Wear helmets marked by DOT, as they are guaranteed to meet safety standards set by law.
• Always use headlights.
• Wear appropriate clothing that is thick to prevent injury, and reflective to be easily seen.
• Don't speed so you can see and react to road hazards such as potholes, puddles, and gravel.
• Drive defensively and assume you can't be seen on the road.
• Be aware that riding with a passenger or any other added weight changes bike handling.

Talking Safety to Drivers

• Give adequate warning of lane switches with your blinker.
• Anticipate motorcycles' movements.
• Pay attention the vehicles in your surrounding area and be aware if you realize one seems to be missing.
• Double check blind spots.
• Don't drive distracted or drowsy and pay attention to your surroundings.
• Always use headlights.
• Be aware that with better weather comes more motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians.

Statistics taken from NSC Injury Facts

Weeks over, Graduation is coming, Sun is staying

Hey everyone, it's Mae here.

This week we had a phone conference with the WSU transportation committee. The best news that any transportation office can hear is ACCIDENT FREE TRAVEL! That's right. This past WSU Mom's weekend, and Spring Break saw no new collisions along State Route 26. With parents, friends, and family flooding into Pullman for the graduation ceremony this Saturday the efforts are higher than ever. On that note, congratulations WSU and UofI class of 2018. We at the Palouse RTPO hope that your time in our community takes you wherever you want to go. Be safe on your travels back home.

For travel information including live road cams, weather advisories, and construction updates, visit us at www.safepalousedrivers.com

Like and share us on Facebook for travel tips and updates at www.facebook.com/safepalousedrivers

The sun is finally here to stay!

Hello everyone, Mae here again.

The sun has finally decided to stay over the Palouse. Just in time too with finals week peeking around the corner. Washington State University finals week starts this upcoming Monday and University of Idaho finals start next Monday the 7th. With classes wrapping up we can expect heavy travel between the Pullman/Moscow and the west side of the state. This means State Route 26 is about to see its annual summer traffic. To everyone who is traveling, please be sure to check route conditions, weather advisories, and traffic delays. There are projects going on that may cause delays. Be sure to visit our website www.safepalousedrivers.com to see all the info you need in one place including live traffic cams and live news feeds from Washington State Patrol and Washington State Department of Transportation. The office will be wrapping up driver safety week and Distracted Driver Awareness Month by announcing the winning contest submissions on Wednesday the 2nd.

Be sure to like and follow us on facebook at facebook.com/safepalousedrivers/
For more information about driver safety tips, route planning, weather, or alerts between the Palouse and Western Washington besure to visit our website at www.safepalousedrivers.com

Its so nice outside here in Pullman that everyone at the office decided to soak up the 81 degree sun

Distracted Driver Awareness Week comes to a close.

Hey everyone, Mae here. 

Distracted Driver Awareness Week was a good run but there were also a few things that we learned and will improve on next time. We visited Clarkston high school, Pullman high school, University of Idaho, and Washington State University. The table that was held at University of Idaho was pretty nice, being outside in sunny weather was a welcome change to all our rain, snow, and wind. Even with finals and Mom's Weekend prep happening, students managed to find time to visit our table and talk to us about safer driving habits.

On Saturday, we held our table at Washington State University during their SpringFest event. However, not before making an appearance at the WSU PD Car Show. There were some real lookers there. We got to speak with the officers, talk to local community gear heads, and meet with two university auto clubs. The Automotive Enthusiast Club, and Formula SAE club. SpringFest was very alive with students. We had a few groups take our Poster Contest fliers and some brochures before the table was wrapped up. All in all, we had around 25 pledge sign ups and 18 contest entries by Saturday.

Outside of Palouse Driver Education Campaign events, there was a BBQ on Sunday as part of the Automotive Enthusiast Clubs last meet of the school semester. I attended as both a car club member and a presence of the campaign. We thank and appreciate all the local businesses, school clubs, and community members who have become involved with us as advocates for safer driving habits.

Remember, our poster contest doesn't end until Noon on Friday the 27th. Be sure to check out our facebook to enter for the chance to win a $25 visa gift card. Also, be sure to like and share our page.
www.facebook.com/safepalousedrivers/

Driver Safety Awareness Week Success

April is Distracted Driver Awareness month, so us at the Palouse Driver Education Campaign thought it'd be appropriate to deem it Driver Safety Awareness Week from April 16th to 21st.

Our office traveled around the Palouse area, from Clarkston to University of Idaho, on a mission to educate and communicate with the community. The participation we got was fantastic, and we enjoyed hearing people talk on bettering their driving habits and pledging for distracted-free travels.

While the safety week may be over, our poster contest is continuing until April 27th at noon, so if you're interested in winning a $25 Visa card, click the following Facebook link for further details: http://ow.ly/1Vnc30jDA6R  

Distracted Driver Awareness month and Driver Awareness Week

Hi everyone, Mae here.

This week has been another eventful one. Since Mom's weekend, we have been planning our tables for the local high schools. On Monday, we visited Clarkston high school. we went to Pullman high school on Tuesday. There were quite a few students coming to the table. Oh yeah, we also started a poster contest just for the driver awareness week. There were some great submissions from Pullman high school already.

The rest of this week will be occupied with visits to University of Idaho, and Springfest at WSU. Be sure to come and find us. We will be at the entrance to Springfest on Willson Road. We will be cooperating with Formula SAE and the Automotive Enthusiast Club. Depending on the weather, we will have a racing game set up that people can enjoy and play.

Here are photos of our time at the Pullman high School.

We had great success this Mom's weekend

Hey everyone, Mae here.
This Mom's weekend as many of you know, the PRTPO and Palouse Driver Education Campaign did its first ever wrecked car staging as a display against distracted driving. We have great success in terms of all the attention that the car brought (maybe a bit too much?). If anyone took any pictures of the car please tag us by using #PalouseDEC. We saw many families stop and look at the signs we had up, apologies to the woman who was brought to tears by the messages, but that is exactly the response we want. An impactful, personal, emotional response that will remind people that the dangers of distracted driving are real. To all of you who were fortunate enough to get your hands on the "It can wait" decals, please be sure to tag us on facebook and twitter with where you stick them. We may have more at our next event.

During our Friday booth, we were asked a few questions, they will now be answered.










Q: Who's car is this and why is it here?
A: The car was donated for use by Fire District 12 and McKeirnan's Auto Repair. The tow was donated by Auto Body Super Center. These are all local businesses who have agreed to help us get the word out that distracted and drowsy driving is dangerous. The purpose was to stage a wrecked car with messages so people would correlate the wreck with distracted driving to send a harder more memorable message to all who see it.



Q: Isn't this going a bit far to send a silly little message?
A: If the message of safe driving is "Silly" then it proves the need for this display. According to the NHTSA, distracted driving has claimed the lives of 3,477 people in 2015 and injuring almost 400,000 people. In my mind, the display worked if people were touched emotionally. I did see some people who were offended. From what I heard in their conversations "I drive better with peace of mind knowing that I replied to all my messages. I hate seeing the notification lights on my phone while I drive" is exactly the danger other more responsible drivers have to face.













Q: You set the display right across from a bar, what about drunk driving?
A: Yes, Drinking and driving is an epidemic that our society faces. But there are enough very hard-hitting adverts and PSA's for drinking and driving. We wanted to use this opportunity to put distracted driving in the spotlight. Teens do not take distracted driving very seriously because they have not had it impact them directly. You see the repercussions of drunk driving almost every day and many people are already directly affected by it. Without seeing the repercussions directly, they might never learn. Our organization can hold booth after booth to teach younger drivers about the dangers, but they are not interested in booths and pamphlets. Today is the age of multimedia and "seeing is believing". Statistics and charts no longer have the same impact. Trust me, I was a teen only a few years ago, I hate being handed pamphlets and usually throw them away at the nearest bin. I have also suffered the consequences of distracted driving.


Q: Are those text messages posted on the car real?
A: They can be. The ones on the car were doctored by me in an effort to garner an emotional response. But who knows how many countless text messages there are left unsent because of distracted driving. How many people are currently texting phones that can no longer reply back?

I want to thank everyone who came out to see the car, everyone who made an effort to speak to me, and a shout out to the local businesses that helped us out.

McKeirnan's Auto Body and Fire District 12 for donating the car
Auto Body Super Center for donating the tow
WSU Transportation Services for providing the staging area and supplies
WSU and Pullman Police Department for not ticketing and towing the staged car

And a special thank you to all the people who will be making the decision to never drive distracted again because of this display.

If anyone wants more information please visit us at www.safepalousedrivers.fom or search for us on social media under "safe Palouse drivers".

Here are more photos of the weekend display.

Mom's weekend is finally here!

Hi guys, Mae here. This is the first official post to our new blog for the Palouse Driver Education Campaign. Everyone in the office has been hard at work getting ready for the upcoming events here in Pullman. We have Mom's weekend starting tomorrow, Spring Fest two weeks from now, and in between we have our Safe Driver Awareness Week from the 16th through 22nd where we will be visiting local high schools and Universities.

This Mom's weekend we will be staging a wrecked car at our safety informational booth as a stand against distracted driving. As many of our followers know, the purpose of our campaign is to educate young drivers about the dangers of distracted and drowsy driving in an effort to put an end to crashes and fatalities that stem from that behavior. On top of having the car at the booth, we will have a board for students and parents to leave messages and write about their personal experiences with distracted and drowsy driving. We will be sharing our stories as well. So, if you're coming to WSU for Mom's weekend, look for our booth across from Valhalla bar and grill.

Outside of WSU events, here are some updates on what I have been doing. Last week and this week I reached out to local auto repair shops and gas stations in an effort to establish a network of businesses who want to share in our cause. Not surprisingly, every business visited were thrilled to help out. Here are some pictures of where my day took me.

My first stop was the Auto Body Super Center at N 2445 Grand Ave

Next, I visited with Rob and Kirk at The Hive and College Cabs. They were very enthusiastic about helping the campaign. You can find them and their shop kitty at 115 SW Center St.

Here is the shop kitty at The Hive, Be sure to give her lots of pets if you visit

Here are the guys at Pullman Auto Repair at 705 S Grand Ave.

Dylan at Perfection Tire was on board and let us hang the poster wherever we wanted. Be sure to stop by the lobby to see it at 1030 S Grand Ave

Gordon at Heritage Wheel & Tire had no hesitation in wanting to help with the campaign. Sorry about having you stand for the photo, I hope your leg gets better. (Notice the crutches behind him). You can find him at 520 S. Grand Ave.

My last stop was Evergreen Tire at 300 NE Stadium Way. Pictured is one of their mechanics, Damonte. The guys there were quick to hang our poster right up front for everyone to see.

For all the businesses that have helped to extend our network and the campaign goal of safer driving, we thank you. Stay tuned for more updates on whats going on!

I also want to add a very special thank you to McKeirnan's Auto Repair, Auto Body Super Center, and Fire District 12 for helping with the Mom's weekend staged car. They helped us to procure and move a wrecked car to its staging area.

We hope everyone has a fun and safe Mom's Weekend.