This past Friday, the Palouse RTPO hosted its very first Summit as part of the Palouse Driver Safety Campaign. The Palouse Driver Safety Summit was a whole day filled with lots of information and was a great learning and networking experience. We as the Palouse RTPO staff learned about what is being done on a local to regional to state level to keep us all safe on the roadways.

We started the day with our keynote speakers Pullman Mayor Glenn Johnson and WSDOT Eastern Regional Administrator Mike Gribner. Mayor Johnson gave a warm greeting and shared about projects that emphasize on driver safety, while addressing the importance of safety for the City of Pullman and WSU. Mike Gribner spoke to us about the value of driver safety programs. We heard about the response of the these programs in the Eastern Region of the state, including "Be Safe Cougs". Mike also discussed with us about the importance of personal responsibility in driver safety. WSDOT can change roads to be safer but they cannot change our behavior behind the wheel. Most important message is that it is up to all of us to make good choices while behind the wheel to do our part to make the roadways safe for everyone.

Our first session began with a presentation from DECA of Clarkston. We heard about the DECA Distracted Driving Campaign from students who are doing their part to educated their peers about the dangers of distracted driving. We were excited to hear about their past and future projects with this campaign. One upcoming project will be a PSA video about distracted driving. Watch our social media for this video. We will be sharing their work and we want to commend these teens for working to make our roadways a safer place for their peers and others. Watch for more of their projects and support them in any way you can.

The session continued with information about the state of Washington's Target Zero Campaign from Wade Alonzo with the Washington Traffic Safety Commission WTSC). The Target Zero campaign has a goal of zero deaths by the year 2030. If you have not heard of this campaign I urge you to visit their website and watch their video of why this is their goal. If the goal for your family is zero deaths, then shouldn't that be the overall goal? http://www.targetzero.com/

In our second session we heard from Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and WTSC about statistics and data analysis on pedestrian & bike fatalities, and US 195 Corridor Analysis. It was interesting to hear about the processes that go into analyzing the safety of our roadways and how they coordinate projects to address any issues. There is a lot more that goes into the planning of our roads than I realized. There is definitely a process to it as far as procedures and funding. Next time you think that they are doing nothing to solve a problem, remember they have to do analysis, form a plan and find funding to address problems on our roadways. So much more goes into the process that you might realize.

Our third session covered current and upcoming projects in Pullman. We heard from the City of Pullman, WSU Transportation and Pullman 2040. We heard about the important work they are doing around the city and WSU to address congestion, parking and more, including multimodal projects. As a college town it's so important to discuss all modes of transportation as we have people who not only drive but are biking and walking to get around our beautiful city of Pullman.

In our fourth session we heard from law enforcement and first responders. The most impactful was, Jessie McCleary from Whitman County First District 12, who had many of us in tears as she spoke to us about the Sam Thompson story. If you have driven US 195 from Pullman to Colfax, you may have seen the "Do Not Text & Drive" sign near the Albion Rd turn off. I urge to watch Sam's Story on YouTube if you have not heard his story. Jessie also spoke to us about Ginger Flynn, who happened to be in the audience, and her crash she experienced on US 195 when a truck who was driving too fast for conditions hit her head on. Luckily Ginger survived but had a long road of recovery. Today she is able to share her story while helping others to chose the correct insurance coverage.

Our fifth session discussed bike and pedestrian safety in our area. We heard about the current and future projects involving trails in Pullman and surrounding areas. As a rural community it is important to have access to trails for multimodal transportation. We have many people who walk and bike to work, school, and for recreation. It is important to provide a safe way for everyone to get around Pullman and our area.

Our day ended with hearing about the importance of car safety, having the correct insurance and proper driver education. Les Schwab provided important information about keeping your vehicle ready for emergencies, such as making sure you have all the proper equipment for changing a tire. Ginger spoke about the importance of having the right insurance to cover all your needs in case of an accident. Make sure you speak to your insurance agent about your coverage and chose the right one for your needs. Hubert Hogaboam from Gem Star Driving School is filled with so much knowledge about driver safety and is very passionate about it. Mr. Hogaboam has more than 40 years experience teaching ages 14 all the way to age 101. If you or someone you know is looking for an amazing driver's ed teacher, Mr. Hogaboam is the man.

Overall the day was filled with great information. While it was a lot to take in, it was worth spending the day learning about driver safety. It is great to know how many people are invested and working to keep us all safe on the road every day. The biggest lesson of the day was personal responsibility of being a safe driver. All these people can work to do their part to make the roads safe for us but we must all do our part by make the right choices when we get behind the wheel of our car. Driver safety starts with each and every one of us. Let's all work together to keep our roads safe for everyone so at the end of the day we may all get home to our loved ones.

Harvest Time on the Palouse

As harvest comes to a close and the Palouse scenery takes another majestic turn we can admire the beauty of the region we’ve come to call home. With this changing time also comes some important safety precautions that can help us all share the rural roads we sometimes find ourselves on. Transporting farm equipment by public roadway is a necessity for farmers on the Palouse. This can be a dangerous situation for motorists who are unfamiliar with with slow moving agricultural machinery. Recognize that you are in an agricultural environment where you might encounter these vehicles on the roadway. The potential for accident is high. If you approach a piece of farm equipment slow down and be patient. The farmer understands you trip may be delayed and will pull over at the first available safe place to allow you to pass.

Passing some of these machines is tempting as their size limits their speed, but being aware that the right condition is paramount to your safety and others on the road. If a farmer pulls off the road to let you pass, pass with caution. Do not assume that if a farmer pulls to the side of the road it is to let you pass. Large equipment must make wide left hand turns. Watch for signals from the farmer to see if it is safe to pass.Be aware of vehicles behind you that may be trying to pass as well. Do not pass in a "no passing lane" or within 100 feet of an intersection. Do not pass if you must enter on coming traffic, unless clearly ahead of the vehicle you are going to pass. 

Not only is agricultural equipment slow moving but it can overlap into other lanes, creating a hazardous situation. Makes sure to keep a lookout for machinery as many farmers are moving their equipment from one field to the next. This means slowing down on curves or one of the many hills. Corners, hills, and other blind spots can reduce your visibility of equipment on the roadway. Allowing space is never bad on the road especially when trailing behind heavy machinery so be sure to give them appropriate distance. If you are in oncoming traffic, pull over to the side of the road until the machinery has passed. It’s important to be conscious that if you can’t see the driver they probably can’t see you. Never assume that the farmer can see you if you are following from behind. Often they are looking ahead to keep equipment on the roadway and watching for on coming traffic.

Most often farm equipment is on the roadway for only a short time. Caution, courtesy, patience and attention to safety will ensure the safety of our roadways during the harvest season. Use these tips to help make all of our rural roads can be safe this year. Remember, farmers have the same rights to share the road as you do, so be safe and share the road!

Palouse Driver Safety Summit

The Palouse RTPO is hosting its very first Palouse Driver Safety Summit to discuss Driver Safety in our region. The Palouse RTPO began the Palouse Driver Safety Campaign in 2016. The campaign was established to improve distracted and drowsy driving and to educate young inexperienced drivers on how to be safe and attentive drivers. As a part of this campaign, Palouse Driver Safety is hosting is very first one-day Summit to discuss, share and educate everyone about driver safety on the Palouse.

We are delighted to have presenters from various local, regional and state agencies. Our presenters will include law enforcement, first responders, local businesses, insurance providers and driver ed teacher who all advocate for driver safety. We will also have experts from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) and Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) who all work every day to make our roads safer for everyone.

The goal of the Summit is to bring together the community, state, regional and local partners with driver and pedestrian safety enhancing projects, information and activities under one roof and to spread the driver safety awareness on the Palouse. The event is designed to update the community and leaders on the Palouse with informational updates from local, regional and state wide experts.

The event is on September 20th beginning at 8 am at the Courtyard Marriott in Pullman. The Summit will consist of 6 sessions. Each session will focus on different aspects of driver safety. The day will begin with our key note speakers Pullman Mayor Glenn Johnson and Eastern Regional WSDOT Administrator Mike Gribner.

This event will focus on driver safety on the Palouse. Topics will include Washington State Target Zero, young and distracted driver updates, WSU Safety Strategies, law enforcement safety strategies, bike and pedestrian safety and hands on driving and car safety tips. This Summit will be filled with important information on what is being done in our area to improve driver and road safety as well as what the future looks like for driver and road safety on the Palouse.


We would like to invite community leaders and members, WSU, UI and High School students, elected officials, and staff from local government agencies, private and non-profit organizations, interested stakeholders and interested parties. If you are interested in or care about driver safety and the safety of our roadways, we want you to attend this Summit. This event is free for WSU, UI and high school students. Registration includes breakfast and lunch.

Event Details:
When: September 20, 8 am to 5 pm
Where: Courtyard Marriott in Pullman
Register on Eventbrite by following this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/palouse-driver-safety-summit-2019-registration-68050453739

THE PEDESTRIAN LIFE

As our WSU ALIVE! Summer Resource Fair driver safety awareness booth comes to a successful end--thanks to committed drivers who pledged to drive safely--we also received much valid feedback on what they felt was necessary to improve driver safety in our region, questions including insurance requirements, the Distracted Driving Law passed in July 2017, to, "Where is the DMV?" We met drivers of all ages and sized from Washington state to international countries. Although we talked with quite a few students who would be driving their first year, we also met a more than equal, opposite number who chose not to drive their first year (or whose parents didn't want them to!) and opted for public transportation or to walk.



Interestingly, most individuals were confident that because they would be walking to most of their destinations, that driver safety awareness didn't apply to them. When we pointed out that it actually impacts everyone using streets, highways, roads, paths, and sidewalks! Yes, that would be pedestrians. Why pedestrians?? With the rampant numbers of distracted drivers driving behind the wheel due to cell phone texting, the numbers of youthful drivers, in fatal car crashes alone, reached 31% by 2016 in southeastern Washington state. So, walkers, runners, cyclist, mothers with strollers, pedestrians walking their dogs, anyone really, have become moving targets! We feel pedestrian safety awareness is as crucial as distracted driving awareness, the two go hand-in-hand. Albeit, for whatever reasons, we applauded those drivers who made the choice to utilize alternative transportation or just by walking, an official mode of transportation.

Through our campaign, since 2016, we've been able to slowly lower the number of fatal car crashes, but, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the number of cyclist and pedestrian deaths have steadily increased since 2009:

PEDESTRIANS                                                 CYCLISTS

2009                          4,109                                                                                   628

2018                          6,216                                                                                   861

Regulators also estimated that while overall traffic deaths had decreased in 2018 (1%) compared to 2017, that pedestrian (4%) and cyclist (10%) deaths had increased.

(Citation: USA Today, NHTSA percentage estimates for 2018)

It has become an alarming trend! While driving inside a vehicle with all the new high-tech safety measures installed has become safer, the people outside of the car are now in danger. It has also caught the attention of a handful--20--auto makers who, in the last 3 years, are arduously attempting to make transportation safer for pedestrians which has not always been at the top of their list, by installing automatic emergency braking systems for pedestrians, bicycle safety detection systems, engineering hoods and fenders to become more pliable in the event of an accident. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) will require automakers to install high functioning pedestrian detection systems making them standard equipment on vehicles starting in 2020 as an incentive for top safety ratings. High technology would ultimately allow vehicles to interact with each other to avoid road hazard, accidents and pedestrians!

Until we have developed and perfected such preventative, pedestrian safe advanced technology, and in order to keep the general public safe out on the road, we'll have to continue with campaigns such as ours, that informs and keeps everyone aware, one driver, one pedestrian, one person at a time. So we all arrive home safely.

For more information on safe driving, walking, tips, goto: www.safepalousedrivers.com

or visit us on: FB, IG, TWITTER and SNAP CHAT.

July Begins with Old Traditions and New Faces

July began with old traditions and new faces.

We started the month of July with celebrating our nation's Independence Day on the Palouse and welcoming new WSU students and their families to our community.

The 44th annual Pullman 4th of July Celebration began at Sunnyside Park at 5pm. This event featured live music by the Community Band of the Palouse, Dan Maher, and the Fabulous Kingpins. The event also hosted BBQ and fun activities for the kids. The evening ended with a great fireworks show at 10 p.m. All money spent in the park that night helps to make the event happen each year. Pullman City Transit also offered free transportation from park and ride locations.

In another tradition, July 4th kicked off with a pancake feed and parade in the small community of Johnson, WA just south of Pullman. Both sides of the street that runs through Johnson gets visitors all around the Palouse. Among parade participants were Whitman County's Sheriff's, Whitman County Fire District 12 with the Color Guard leading the parade. Area businesses, sports teams, community groups and more participate in this parade each year.

Next up on the 4th of July festivities is the Albion parade and community lunch. Many of the Johnson Parade participants head directly to Albion march in the parade all over again. Additional events were the sidewalk chalk contest in Endicott, and various other small events held at rural towns of Whitman County. Many of these events have fun activities for kids to participate in, creating wonderful community events on the Palouse.


The week ended with welcoming new WSU students and their families at the WSU Resource Fair held at the CUB. We had many new students and their parents stop by our booth to sign the safe driver pledge. We gained more than 20 new signatures, pledging to be a safe driver. Some of those signatures included those who pledged to be a safe passenger as well by not causing distractions for their driver.

One main topic that parents were interested in discussing was their concern for safe travel on State Route 26 which is the main route for many students. The topic of working to add passing lanes to this highway was a popular one. One parent said he won't even drive that route and takes I-90 to Spokane and down US195 to get to Pullman from Western Washington. Parents were happy about the Passing Lanes Project.

We also spoke with parents whose children have never driven in snow before. They were happy to hear that there are resources such as our website and social media to offer tips and information about our roadways and conditions. We spoke with a mother from Missouri and another mother from California who said knowing that there are resources such as Palouse Driver Safety Campaign helped relieve some of their worries as they know it will be a challenge for their children to drive in new weather conditions.

Sunday marked the first WSU Resource Fair for the month of July, and we had more than 20 students and parents who took the safe driving pledges. There are several more coming up this month and our campaign will keep on working to inform and educate drivers on safe driving behavior.


You can keep up to date on future events on our website, Facebook page, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat. Our social media is a great resource for local road updates such as weather and road conditions, road construction, road closures, driving tips and more. We look forward to more events this July where we can meet more students and community members.

WSU Community Safety Fair a Success!

(and that includes driver safety awareness)

This past weekend Pullmanites enjoyed for the fourth year in a row, the WSU Community Safety Fair, held at the Breslford Visitor Center in beautiful downtown Pullman. The usual suspects were there, but the fair was anything but usual. From the fire extinguisher event, to the bike rodeo to our very own driver simulator, families were "schooled," top to bottom, on the importance of safety in our everyday lives. The WSU/Fair facilitators made sure everyone attended each booth by utilizing a stamp card system allowing direct interaction between the presenters and the community, so that everyone was sure to have a full experience.

At our booth, we were both grateful and amazed at the number of drivers who signed our pledge for our campaign to drive aware and non-distracted while driving in our community. Several passengers and pedestrians also made the oath to be mindful of the driver in their own car and drivers in general. Our driver simulator got some use as people lined up to take a test drive and discovered it wasn't as easy as it looked! In addition, we supplied information on summer safety tips--do not leave children and/or pets in hot vehicles--went LIVE! on Instagram and Facebook, and ran a small distracted driving contest with candy prizes for the winners. The contest proved what astute drivers we have here on the Palouse, however, the main focus of our campaign is making sure everyone gets to their destination safely and the group that showed up was dedicated and committed to making a difference for themselves and their families. We applaud those drivers, new and old, and appreciate their support for our campaign. It is you, one by one, who make the difference! Which brings us to the next event...

 

WSU ALIVE Resource Fair

The next day we visited the Alive Resource Fair at the CUB on the WSU campus. This was our 4th out of the 11 sessions we will be present for at this year's ALIVE event. Each time is a new experience as each time a new group of freshman or returning students and parents are in attendance. Although we've been to several events, it never ceases to amaze us the number of people who are concerned about driver safety awareness and who want to take active participation in our campaign. Particularly, the college students themselves, are apprehensive about driving in a new area, driving distracted or driving in the winter. It seems, most are choosing other alternatives, like walking. Whether walking or driving, awareness is the key and these drivers have it and are appreciative of our program. From this feedback, we feel our campaign is impacting the youth in our community and we will continue to attend the ALIVE Resource Fair along with other safety events in order to keep our message of ending distracted driving moving throughout the Palouse and Washington state. Again, thank you to the all wonderful participants and, especially, the support staff at WSU who make this event so successful! 

Where's My Flying Car?

Forty years back you could buy an airplane in a box and build it in your garage. Called then and today, "homebuilts," it came with a VHS tape, plus step-by-step instructions on how to make your very own aircraft in your very own home. It was more like a one-place or two-seat tandem, Ultra-Light, with an open cockpit and frame. If you had an Airframe and Power plant Certificate, all the better. How cool was that, I thought, for a couple of thousand bucks, I could mechanically piece together my own aircraft, style a, sort of, landing pad on the roof of my rental--sure, my landlord wouldn't mind a small design change to her roof line--and, I could take off every morning and avoid all the traffic along the 405/I-5 corridor, as long as I registered my craft and had a license, I didn't see a problem. Wow, what a dream that would be! I could roll out of bed, grab my coffee and toast, start up my engine, advise the tower--flight plan already logged--and I could be at the office in 15 minutes, as opposed to 55-90 minutes stuck in traffic. Dream was right, building an aircraft takes full time dedication--it could take years--and is more complex and expensive than I eventually realized. Literally, shelving the idea, it came upon me, a flying car!




How about a hybrid of a car and an airplane, someone must be working on it. Was there technology that existed in the 80's that could support a flying car? Surely, the government had some sort of cutting-edge, reverse-technology and it was in the works. The military had jet packs in the early sixties, somewhat like the movie, the Rocketeer, 1991, but those were highly dangerous and highly combustible, unless they had installed state-of-the-art safety features since then. I was fortunate enough, as a child, to witness someone flying a jet pack and it embedded in my memory. I became fascinated with flying and the idea of a flying car. After all, Henry Ford had his "Flivver," designed in 1927 as an "everyman's" aircraft, his version of a flying car. With many designs in-between, the incredible Moulton Taylor Aerocar was designed and built by Moulton Taylor in 1949 and six prototypes were built. The design was brilliant in it's concept, a compact vehicle hitched to a fuselage with fold out wings, ready for takeoff  in a matter of minutes, but it never entered production.

There wasn't much information available on the Internet in the early nineties, however, fast forward through the nineties with technological advancements, and you could find a few articles here and there on flying cars. The bottom line in the challenges and developments of making flying vehicles was money. It seems, that is why it has taken so long in mass producing them for commercial use.

Okay, so here we are almost 20 years in the 21st Century, and beyond the Space Age, and you ask, "Where's my flying car?" Well, come to find out, there are now many intrepid, dedicated, national and international, entrepreneurial companies who have designed an developed models for flying cars; such as, the European, AeroMobil, developing its version--AeroMobil 5.0 VTOL--of an air taxi ferrying four passengers for daily commuting with a potential range of 100 miles. We should see this version on the market in 5-7 years the company estimates; Terrafugia of Woburn, MA is developing a transformational model, converting into an airplane from a car and vice versa. Other companies, along with major airplane manufacturers, have similar models in the works. Uber wants a fleet of flying cars by 2020. Many issues still exist, however, if we're to finally have our futuristic flying dreams come true, like traffic vectors overhead and sharing the sky ways with other aircraft, plus weights and balances issues that exist for comparable aircraft, you know, "will your carry on bag fit in the overhead compartment?" If our flying cars are to operate similar to a helicopter, by taking off and landing vertically, the details must be streamlined, designed and redesigned, the balance of forces--aerodynamics--are crucial for takeoffs and landings.

Which brings us to our motive of wanting flying cars in the first place, our reasons now are quite different from back then. It may have been a dream or space fantasy to have a flying car, but now, we'll turn to this technology in order to improve our transport and transportation systems by facilitating congestion, decreasing pollution, an increasing safety factors to save lives working towards a better future. Also, to save the environment, the earth, by alleviating the negative global changes currently taking place.

The next level? Where are my pneumatic roadways? Well, that's another blog...

For more information on flying cars: www.abcnews.go/Business/flyingcars;
www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-incredible-flying-car-of-the-1950s.

Visit us at www.safepalousedriver.com and on
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