Motorists may be surprised to learn that over half of the fatality and serious injury crashes occur on local roads with half of those crashes involving only a single vehicle. Rural roads have the most fatal crashes in Kansas despite accounting for only 40% of total state miles traveled. The Kansas Drive to Zero Coalition, supported by the Kansas Department of Transportation, and law enforcement agencies want to bring awareness to drivers who may think traveling on local roads comes with less risk.

According to Police Chief Robert Spinks, "Safe driving behaviors are the number one way motorists can protect themselves and their occupants traveling anywhere."

Driving too fast for conditions, distracted driving, impaired driving, and failure to properly use seatbelts and child restraint protection severely increase the severity of a crash. "What drivers need to know is nearly 86 percent of local road crashes take place in good weather conditions, and a majority of these are on straight and level roads so remember drive defensively, buckle up and phone down- every trip, every time." Said Chief Spinks.

The Parsons Police Department aids in the community's traffic safety yearly by partnering with the Kansas Department of Transportation for campaigns such as Click It or Ticket, You Drink, You Drive, You Lose. These and other campaigns' focus is all about traffic safety. "Keeping our streets safe for all drivers and pedestrians is just one of our goals" said Patrol Lieutenant Kyle Wiford. "We will continue to engage with the community to teach and talk about traffic safety."

For more information on local road and other safe driving programs visit https://kansasdrivetozero.com.

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