Planning to visit Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park in Yarnell to pay respects and learn about the 19 brave firefighters who gave their lives battling against the Yarnell Hill Fire?

Make sure you do it by not parking illegally along State Route 89, putting yourself and others at risk.

With signs near the parking lot summarizing the tragedy of June 30, 2013, and a memorial at the top of the Weaver Mountains for those who are in shape to hike up the hill, the park provides multiple opportunities for Arizonans and others across the country to honor and remember those men.

Parking illegally along the shoulders of SR 89 to get to the park, however, is not the best nor safest way to show that honor. The shoulders of state highways are reserved for emergencies only. Parking along them causes distractions to drivers along the highway and can prevent emergency vehicles from gaining access to those who need help. 

Plus, it puts you and your family and friends at greater risk right next to the highway.

With more than 25,000 annual visitors to the state park, the parking lot can fill up fast. Thankfully, the Yarnell Fire Department has risen to the occasion by providing a shuttle service to the park on the weekends when the memorial park sees the most visitors.

The shuttle service runs Fridays through Sundays every half hour from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Proceed past the park into Yarnell and park at the Yarnell Fire Department. The last dropoff at the park trailhead is 1 p.m., and the last pickup at the park trailhead is 5 p.m.

To learn more about Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park and the shuttle service, visit azstateparks.com/hotshots.

Spring break is coming up for students across Arizona, and while it’s certainly going to be different than in recent years, many Arizona residents may still be planning to travel on our state’s highways. 

Whether you’ve planned a scenic drive or a socially distanced road trip, there are a number of things you can do to prepare.

Anytime you travel in Arizona, you should remember to bring extra drinking water. Don’t forget a fully charged cell phone and a charger, hand sanitizer, wipes and a cloth face covering to protect yourself and others.

I also encourage you to put together a kit to keep in your car that includes items you’d need in a variety of situations. 

• Emergency travel items, like battery cables, safety flares and a reflective vest
• A first-aid kit that includes pain relievers, disinfectant, bandages and any necessary prescribed medications
• A flashlight with extra batteries
• Snack foods
• A road map
• Extra radiator water, especially if you’re traveling in hot weather and/or driving on highways with dramatic uphill climbs
• Blankets, an ice scraper, a small shovel and a container of sand for traction, if you’re traveling in snowy conditions

Find more road trip safety tips, along with links and advice on our ADOT website. Remember, safety is the top priority — plan ahead and don’t take any chances that could put you and others in danger.

At ADOT, we share many safety messages throughout the year. From reminding drivers to buckle up and expect the unexpected to telling them about dust storms, work zones and even cyberscams.

ADOT does an excellent job communicating with the public. However, as individuals, we also have an important role to play.

By sharing transportation safety information with our family, friends and loved ones, each of us can make an impact. I encourage you to be an ambassador and share our agency’s safety resources with your circle.

Just for an example, you could remind a neighbor who is planning a trip up north to prepare for snow, and you could point them toward our Know Snow web page. 

You could also let a family member know about az511.gov — ADOT’s Travel Information site. You can tell your friends about ADOT’s Twitter feed (@ArizonaDOT), which is an excellent source for traffic information, and our Focus on Driving site, which offers safe-driving tips and resources. While you’re at it, you might share our new ADOT Kids site, which includes a lot of safety tips, and is aimed toward school-aged children.

ADOT has so much safety information to share, and I hope you’ll join me in spreading the word! 

The 2020 holiday season will kick off at sundown tonight with the lighting of the menorah for the first night of Hanukkah. Each year the Jewish holiday falls on a different Gregorian calendar day. This year it marks the first of our holiday safety messages. You'll see our first safety message today with more to come before the year is over!

Many people love these safety messages, but we still get our share of naysayers. While we don't want you to be distracted while driving, we do want you engaged in highway safety. Whether you're making a positive or negative comment about our messages on social media, we're pleased they made you think twice about roadway safety. 

That being said, you can expect a few more safety messages throughout the holiday season. To get you in the holiday spirit, we're sharing a few messages from past years in our video below.

We know it's a busy time of year, but please don't be too busy to slow down, drive safely and always get a designated driver if you're out drinking. 

When the shared-use path along the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway in Ahwatukee opened about a month ago, the opening-day crowd could not have been more excited. Individuals and groups on bicycles moved quickly down the path, along with some on skateboards and even one woman on Rollerblades. The ladies’ cross country team from Desert Vista High School used the path for a morning run.

That was the primary objective when the Arizona Department of Transportation added the path to plans for the freeway: Creating a path to be shared by all members of the community regardless of their fitness level, age or even species (leashed dogs and horses are also allowed to use the path). In the interest of safety, no motorized vehicles are permitted on the path, but everyone else – from young parents walking with a small child, to older area residents casually walking to get some exercise, to serious cyclists looking to ride fast – is welcome.

Sadly, within the first week after the path opened, there were reports that not everyone is playing well with others. Some are acting as if their use of the path has a higher priority than others.

That’s wrong. The path belongs to everyone.

On the adjacent freeway, drivers don’t win priority because their vehicle is larger or shinier or newer than others. Safe driving rules apply to everyone. Share the road.

Share the path. Please. And thank you.

One last item: You’ll also be sharing the path, on limited occasions, with work trucks. In the next few weeks, those trucks may be completing work adjacent to the freeway. Sometimes they will be maintaining utilities. But that will only happen when there are no alternatives for accessing the work, and drivers know to look for cyclists, walkers and others enjoying the path. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience.

Ahh... autumn in Arizona. 

The frost is on the pumpkin, a chill is in the air and sweaters are acceptable fashion.

Hey, we can dream, can’t we?

Yes, we here at ADOT ranch are well aware that for much of Arizona autumn is not so much a season as it is, well... about a week on the calendar before early summer returns. 

We kid. 

Sort of. 

Autumn does exist, of course, it’s just a lot less shy about making an appearance in places like Oak Creek Canyon, Mt. Lemmon or the Grand Canyon, among other wonderful locations.

Naturally, seeing this rumored “autumn” and the turning of leaves amid cooler temps inspires people to hit the road and enjoy the splendor. 

If you are among those so inspired, we want you - as we always do - to travel safely. 

Even though it may be hard to imagine at the moment, autumn weather can pose more challenges for drivers. Weather conditions in Arizona are diverse, one day you can enjoy warm temperatures in Phoenix or Tucson and then find yourself in rain or even snow an hour or two later. Be aware of the forecast if you’re headed to the high country.

A lot of the most scenic roadways are scenic because they have more twists and turns. That requires a bit more attention and that’s especially true if you’re taking in the views. Drivers should always be alert and keep eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. Just to be fair, switch drivers if you can from time to time. Let everyone enjoy nature’s show. 

Arizona has a lot of mountains and those areas can pose more hazards such as the potential for rock slides or icy conditions. You should always heed warning signs and be extra-alert in those kinds of areas. 

It’s really true. The days are shorter, and frost, though elusive, really is on someone’s pumpkin somewhere in Arizona. If you want to find out for yourself, have fun, but take it easy and drive safely. Maybe when you’re done, someone will have turned that pumpkin into a pie and you’ll have something to do when you get off the road.

Around the country this week, traffic safety stakeholders are recognizing National Teen Driver Safety Week. Count the Arizona Department of Transportation among them.

Earlier this month, ADOT launched the distracted driving awareness campaign, “Distracted Drivers Terrify Me.” The campaign, especially the 30-second videos, was designed to reach a younger audience, including teen drivers. How many other distracted driving campaigns have you seen that feature a venomous snake handler or rodeo bullfighter? Check out all four videos at azdot.gov/terrify.

Let’s be honest: it’s not easy to engage people about safe-driving habits. Everyone knows it’s dangerous to speed, drive impaired or distracted. But people still do these things and they’re among the leading factors in fatal crashes every year. At ADOT, we try to come at these issues from unconventional angles. That’s one of the reasons we display quirky traffic safety messages on our overhead signs. We hope that by being a bit different, the message will resonate with drivers.

We’re trying something new with our distracted driving campaign. To help engage teens in the distracted driving conversation, we've created a couple ways they – or anyone – can contribute on social media. 

Instagram

Teens on Instagram can promote and participate in our campaign by adding a sticker to their stories that says, "Distracted Drivers are Terrifying." You can find ADOT Instagram stickers by searching “ArizonaDOT” on Instagram or visit our verified Giphy channel at giphy.com/ArizonaDOT. We also have video instructions on how to find and use stickers in our Instagram highlight named “Stickers.”

Facebook

To add a frame to your profile picture on a desktop computer:

1. Go to facebook.com/profilepicframes.
2. Click this link.  
3. Click "Change Picture" to save the frame to your profile.

To add a frame to your profile picture on a mobile device:

1. Click on this link. 
2. Click "Change Frame.”
3. Tap "Use as Profile Picture."