Highway Patrol Urges Caution As School Year Gets Underway

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is offering some tips as the 2020-2021 school year closes in.

The ‘Patrol says nobody was killed in traffic crashes involving school buses last year, but more than 150 people around Missouri were hurt in crashes that did involve a school bus.

Troopers also say you should make sure your kids are wearing a helmet if they’ll be riding their bike to school.

Other kids will be walking to school and some could end up in the road with little or no warning.

And the coming school year will include numerous young drivers who just a few months ago couldn’t drive a car.

The ‘Patrol is urging caution and patience in the coming school year.

****More details:

Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe

B.R.A.K.E.S.offers free defensive driving school for teens and parents Aug. 28-29     

JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri roads are about to get a little bit safer. The Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) and Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) are teaming up to bring Doug Herbert’s B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe) Teen Pro-Active Driving School to the Missouri Emergency Vehicle Operation Course (EVOC) training center in Jefferson City on August 28-29.

B.R.A.K.E.S. is a GuideStar Platinum-rated 501(c)(3) charity that offers free, hands-on defensive driver training to teens and their parents nationwide. Multi-time Top Fuel drag racing champion Doug Herbert founded the road safety organization in honor of his two teenage sons, Jon and James, who lost their lives in a car crash in 2008. The class is free but requires a $99 refundable deposit to hold your seat. For more information, or to register for this event, please visit https://putonthebrakes.org/shop/Merchandise?item=276.

“Car crashes are the number-one cause of death among teens across the country, but I never knew that until Jon and James became part of those statistics,” said Herbert. “From that tragedy, we created a mission to prevent injuries and save lives by training teens and their parents to be safer behind the wheel. We’re truly grateful to our friends at MSHP and the Missouri DOT for helping us bring our lifesaving training to the area and make Missouri’s roads a little safer for everyone.”

“The Missouri State Highway Patrol is very excited to host B.R.A.K.E.S.,” said Captain John Hotz. “This advanced driver training program provides a new and innovative opportunity to help reduce traffic crashes in our state.  The hands-on driving exercises that are included in the B.R.A.K.E.S. curriculum will provide the teens who attend the training with skills that may help them avoid being involved in a traffic crash.”

Funding for the Jefferson City B.R.A.K.E.S. event is being made possible by a federal highway safety grant from MoDOT, as part of Missouri’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan – Show-Me Zero, Driving Missouri Toward Safer Roads. 

According to Missouri Department of Transportation Assistant Highway Safety and Traffic Engineer Jon Nelson, traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for youth (15-20) in Missouri, accounting for nearly 12.3% of traffic fatalities during the last three years.

“Many factors come into play in these preventable tragedies, including inexperience, alcohol, speeding, distracted driving and simply not buckling up,” said Nelson. “Bringing B.R.A.K.E.S. to Jefferson City is one of many investments we’re making in an effort to eventually eliminate traffic deaths on Missouri roads.”

Missouri’s new strategic highway safety plan, Show-Me Zero, Driving Missouri Toward Safer Roads, identifies four key focus areas to help reduce traffic deaths, including the importance of seat belts, car seats and motorcycle helmets. Other focus areas in the plan include distracted driving, speeding, and impaired driving. For more information on the Show-Me Zero plan, and to check out the Coalition’s new video promoting the plan, visit www.savemolives.com.