Racine County, WI

• DO NOT follow too close behind snow removal vehicles/equipment (equipment may be other than just a truck)


• Be watchful for abrupt maneuvers in stopping, backing and turning.


• Snow plows are in Service to Maintain road conditions for safe travel "Give Them A Break"


• Remember the slow down/move over law for highway maintenance vehicles/equipment, including tow truck operators (not only for police/fire vehicles/equipment)


• Do not attempt to pass or follow a plow too closely, due to visibility issues. Plows cannot travel as fast as other vehicles during heavy snow events and active plowing operations.


• When plowing or shoveling your driveway, do not put snow into the street. It is against law to put snow into the street.

STAY BACK A MINIMUM OF 200 FEET

DO NOT EVER TAILGATE BEHIND SNOW REMOVAL VEHICLES/EQUIPMENT.

Materials Provided | Radio Interview on WRJN Racine

Stop on Red (and Yellow)

Running a red light is no joke. Many people are killed or badly injured each year because someone cruised through a red light. The law is clear on how you must behave at traffic signals.

Yellow

When you see a yellow light with or following the green light, you should stop before entering the intersection unless you're so close to it that a stop may not be made safely. A yellow light does NOT mean it's time to speed up and race through the intersection.

That's how people get killed.

Red

Traffic facing a red signal must stop before entering the crosswalk or before entering the intersection and must remain stopped until the light changes to green or some other signal permitting movement such as a green arrow.

Use Seat Belts

Using Seat Belts is an incredibly effective and simple way to save lives.

Consistent safety belt use by all occupants including those in rear seats is the single most effective way to protect against being ejected from a vehicle or being thrown around violently inside it during a crash.

Costing all of us lots of money for unbelted motorists in crashes:

• Drivers and passengers who are hurt or killed in traffic crashes because they didn’t buckle up create tremendous economic losses, such as medical expenses and lost worker productivity. The rest of society pays for nearly 75 percent of these economic losses through higher insurance premiums, taxes, and other public funding, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
• In 2023, economic losses from traffic fatalities and injuries in Wisconsin cost more than $33.2 billion, according to the 2023 Wisconsin Traffic Crash Facts.

Drive Right, Pass Left

The left lane is designed as a passing lane. The right lane is more for just an average driving lane. According to state law, any vehicle traveling "at less than the normal speed of traffic" must be driven in the right-hand lane, or as close as practicable, except when overtaking and passing another vehicle.

Use Your Blinkers!

Yes it's illegal if you do not signal your intentions before maneuvers. You are legally required to signal before pulling over, pulling into traffic, lane changing, parking, merging, turning right and left, etc. And yes you can get a ticket for failing to signal your intentions.

Using your blinkers is required if there are other vehicles around you. In the event that any other vehicle may be affected by a driver's movement, the use of a turn signal is mandatory. Your blinkers are usually needed when you are:

• Intersections and traffic lights
• Overtaking a cyclist
• Making turns
• Switching lanes
• Pulling away
• Parking

Materials Provided | Radio Interview on WRJN Racine

Be Safe & Work Zone Friendly
Know the Signs

	RIGHT LANE ENDS Be prepared to merge into the left lane. Try to blend into traffic early. Avoid pushing your way into the lane at the last minute – this may cause unneeded congestion!
	FLAGGER AHEAD Be prepared to stop. When you see this sign, slow down and stay in line. A real person will soon be standing in front of you. Take your responsibility seriously.
	TWO-WAY TRAFFIC This sign means you are no longer on the divided highway. Adjust to having only one travel lane and oncoming traffic.
	ROAD WORK BEGINS IN 1500 FEET This is meant to be a clear warning to slow down. Be alert. Traveling at 60 mph, you will be in a work zone just 17 seconds after seeing the sign.
	REDUCED SPEED LIMIT Follow reduced speed limit signs in work zones at all times. Reducing speed improves safety for the workers. Also, work zones often have narrowed lanes, reduced shoulders, lane shifts and steep side slopes making it dangerous to travel at the normal speed.

REMEMBER, IN WISCONSIN:

• Buckle up for safety, it’s the law!
• Fines are double in work zones.
• If you see law enforcement, towing or road maintenance vehicles on the side of the road with their emergency lights on, move over or slow down.
• Stay back at least 200 feet when following maintenance vehicles.

In Wisconsin, using a cell phone in a work zone is illegal unless it's hands-free!

YEILD TO EMERGENCY VEHILCES

Wisconsin State Law requires motorists to yield when approached by an emergency vehicle. In an emergency, minutes can mean the difference between life and death and critical seconds can be lost if drivers don’t make way for emergency vehicles. Take sirens seriously. Make way for an ambulance, fire truck or police vehicle. Someday you may be the one calling for help, or the life on the line might be a friend, neighbor or someone you love. For more information see Wisconsin Statute 346.169(1).

WHAT TO DO WHEN APPROACHED BY AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE

• Remain calm and maintain control of your vehicle without jeopardizing the safety of others. • Pull to the right and come to a stop. With few exceptions, moving your vehicle safely to right is the best action when approached by emergency vehicles. When traveling at greater speeds or when there is no room to stop, slow down as much as possible. • When in the left lane, pull over into the right lane as the traffic in the lane to your right moves to the shoulder. • If you cannot move to the right because of an obstacle or other vehicle, slow down, signal to the right and continue until it is safe to merge. Your prompt action will let the driver of the emergency vehicle know your intentions and choose a safe path around your vehicle. • When an emergency vehicle approaches you from behind while your vehicle is stationary at an intersection stop sign or red light, do not move unless you can safely move to the right. • When traveling on a one-way street, moving to the right is best, but sometimes due to traffic, you may move to the left curb and yield to the middle lanes. This is one of the appropriate exceptions to the “pull to the right” rule.

When approaching an emergency vehicle, tow truck, road machinery or highway maintenance vehicle parked within 12 feet of the roadway and displaying visual lights, Wisconsin Law requires drivers to reduce speed and provide ample room prior to passing the stopped vehicle. For more information see Wisconsin State Statute 346.072(1).

WHAT TO DO WHEN APPROACHING A STOPPED EMERGENCY VEHICLE

• When traveling on a roadway with multiple lanes in the same direction, merge into the lane away from the stopped vehicle providing an open lane as a buffer to the vehicle stopped on the roadside. • When traveling on a roadway with a single traffic lane for each direction of travel, reduce and maintain a safe speed until your vehicle is completely past the stopped vehicle.

WHAT TO DO WHEN FOLLOWING OR PARKING NEAR EMERGENCY VEHICLES

• Maintain an interval of at least 500 feet when following an emergency vehicle responding to a call. • Avoid parking within 300 feet or the length of a city block of an emergency vehicle that has stopped for an emergency.

Materials Provided | Radio Interview on WRJN Racine

Boating can be an enjoyable pastime. It also can be dangerous. Reducing the risk is the key to an enjoyable boating season for all.

To prepare yourself, please follow the safety tips:

EDUCATE YOURSELF: Take boating safety courses. Nearly 90% of all boating fatalities occur on boats where the operator had not completed a boating safety course.

WEAR YOUR LIFE JACKET: Recently life jacket manufacturers have improved their designs. Inflatable life jackets offer another option to the traditional, bulky style.

STAY SOBER: A boat operator with a blood alcohol concentration above 0.10 is more than 10 times as likely to be killed in a boating accident.

SAFETY TIPS

PLAN - File a float plan. Let a friend or relative know when you are leaving, description of your boat, how many people will be on board, where you will be boating and what time you will return.

CHARTS - Carry current charts on board of where you will be boating.

ALCOHOL EFFECTS - Keep in mind that the sun, the heat and motion of the water enhances the effects of alcohol.

FORECAST - Check the local forecast before going out.

RULES - Know the rules of the waterway and abide by them.

Materials Provided | Radio Interview on WRJN Racine

DRIVE OR RIDE - SHARE THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MOTORCYCLE SAFETY

On Your Motorcycle - Guidelines for a Safe Ride

Be Visible:

• Remember other motorists may not immediately see you.
• Ride in the left third of your lane when possible.
• When riding next to other vehicles on multi-lane roads, stay out of their blind spots as traffic allows.
• Flash your brake light when slowing down.
• Remember to cancel turn signals after the turn.
• Avoid equipment modifications that may make it more difficult for other drivers to understand your intentions.

Dress for Safety:

• Wear a D.O.T. approved helmet and eye protection.
• Choose protective gear that will limit and reduce injuries in the event of a crash.
• Bright clothing and helmet are more easily seen and may help prevent a collision.

S.E.E.

• Search – for factors that might lead to risky situations.
• Evaluate – how the factors might interact to create risk.
• Execute – an action to maintain a margin of safety.
• Adjust speed • Adjust position • Communicate your intentions

Ride Sober, Ride Right

• Alcohol reduces the rider’s ability to ride safely.
• There were 233 alcohol-related motorcycle crashes (in Wisconsin) in 2012. Of these, 191 or 82.0% occurred between 4 p.m. and 4 a.m.

In Your Car or Truck - When you're behind the wheel, share the road with motorcycles.

Caution When Making Left Turns:

• Approximately one-half of all motorcycle crashes involve another motor vehicle. Nearly 40% were caused by vehicles attempting a left turn in front of the motorcyclist.
• Motorcycles are smaller! Watch for them!
• When checking traffic assume a motorcycle is closer than it appears.

Be Courteous, Give Motorcyclists Their Share of the Road:

• Never attempt to share the same traffic lane with a motorcycle.
• Check your “blind spot” for motorcycles when you’re changing lanes or turning.
• Give a motorcycle adequate room.
• Be familiar with hand signals indicating turns.

Prevent Rear End Collisions:

• Leave adequate space.
• Motorcycles can slow down without the warning of a brake light.
• In wet conditions, motorcycles may slow to compensate for reduced traction on wet pavement.

Securing Loads in your Vehicle Trailers:

• Properly secure loads, especially when traveling at highway speed. At highway speeds the velocity of a dislodged item can create an extreme hazard for an exposed motorcycle rider.

Bicycle Safety

Materials Provided | Radio Interview on WRJN Racine

Growing older is not a reason to stop driving.  While aging may bring changes, recognizing your limitations, planning your trips, driving the right car, and taking care of yourself and your car can make you a safer, older driver.  However, there may come a time when you have to stop driving. Know the signs and listen to your family and friends when they talk about your driving.

Signs it may be time to stop driving

• Significant changes in health or medication
• Surprised by other drivers or pedestrians
• Have near misses or minor accidents
• Others comment on your driving
• Problems reading road signs
• Other drivers honk at you
• Get lost in familiar areas

DMV And Older Drivers

• No special testing now, but may change in the future
• Report from physician can cancel your license

Have a safer trip

• Avoid poor conditions – rush hour, storms, night time, construction
• Pick well marked, lighted routes with easy parking
• Avoid left turn with no traffic signal
• Drive posted speeds. If slower than traffic, stay to the right
• Use seatbelts on all trips
• Adjust seats and mirrors for good visibility
• Consider using alternative transportation for longer or unfamiliar trips

Biggest Risk Areas

• Backing up and parking
• Following too closely in traffic (tailgating)
• Yielding right of way, merging
• Left turns
• Heavy traffic

Tune Up Your Car

• Do scheduled maintenance
• Find good mechanics
• Check fluids, tire pressure when buying gas

Tune Up Yourself

• Regularly have your eyes checked
• Do flexibility exercises
• Take a Driver’s Refresher Course from AAA, AARP
• Stay mentally active
• Contact your local Aging and Disability Resource Center to learn about driver refresher courses and other transportation resources

Buy A Safe Car To Start With

• Power brakes, steering, seats, windows, door locks
• Automatic transmission
• Good line-of-sight, clear windshields, larger mirrors

Materials Provided | Radio Interview on WRJN Racine

Materials Provided | Radio Interview on WRJN Racine

School Bus Safety

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The law requires all school buses in Wisconsin to have flashing amber lights, used as a warning to drivers that the bus is preparing to stop when the flashing lights are activated.

1 | When children are getting off the bus, they should walk straight ahead and move at least 10 feet away from the bus.

2 | The front of the bus is the most dangerous area. Within the danger zone are a number of “blind spots” in which the driver cannot see small children.

Children must be educated to move forward away from the bus until they can see the bus driver’s face; then the bus driver can see them as well

3 | A passing car cannot see a child since the large bus hides the children from the sight of the vehicle.

4 | Small children are in danger in back of the bus since the bus driver cannot see these children at all.

RED LIGHT vs. YELLOW LIGHTS STOPS

Safety Tips for Young & Disabled Pedestrians

• A driver of a vehicle meeting, from either direction, a stopped school bus with flashing red lights - may not proceed until the flashing red lights have stopped.
• Vehicle drivers proceeding in the opposite direction on a divided highway need not stop for a school bus with flashing red lights. A divided highway is a highway with a permanent structure preventing vehicles from crossing from one side to the other.

RED LIGHTS MAY NOT FLASH IN:

• School bus loading areas - where the bus is entirely off the traveled portion of the road.
• Drivers need to stop in residential or business districts where students or other authorized passengers are being loaded or unloaded, and sidewalks with curbs are present on both sides of the road—unless a local ordinance, such as in Sturtevant, states otherwise.
• A special education bus on a one-way street where a sidewalk and curb are laid on both sides of the road and the student needs to cross the road, shall use the flashing red lights.

Materials Provided | Radio Interview on WRJN Racine