For the uninitiated dust storms may seem like a fairy tale story they tell their children; something that only happens in the deserts of the Middle East and only impacts people riding on camels. But in reality dust storms happen here in the United States every year in places like Phoenix, a major metropolitan area.

This lack of knowledge on the part of drivers and the increased power and regularity of these storms has prompted the Arizona Department of Transportation to launch a statewide campaign aimed at helping drivers understand just how big of a risk these storms pose to their safety.

the idea is to use local media and police to help educate drivers and remind them to take warnings about oncoming storms seriously. They also provide information to drivers so they know how to react if they do eventually get caught in a dust storm.

Dust storms can be deadly for drivers who get caught in the middle of their fury. That is why the Arizona Department of Transportation is trying to get out in front of the trouble. Today the agency kicks off a public awareness campaign urging motorists to “Pull Aside – Stay Alive.”

This is a collaborative effort between ADOT, the National Weather Service, the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. A public service announcement shows how quickly a dust storm can envelope the roadway.

The driver, 19-year-old Catalina Clouser, was released from jail  Sunday morning after being charged with child abuse and aggravated DUI. She admitted to police she had been upset that her boyfriend had been arrested the night before (also on DUI charges) and had been smoking marijuana with her friends.

The baby has since been placed in the care of Child Protective Services and Clouser will likely have to complete drug and alcohol treatment and possibly serve jail time before being reunited with her child. Defensive driving or not, if your child is sitting on the roof of your car, somebody is going to get hurt.

Phoenix police Officer James Holmes said officers responded to a call of a baby strapped into a car seat lying in the middle of the road at 45th Avenue and Cholla Street around 1 a.m Saturday.

“The woman who found him and I were just crying our eyes out,” said a Leilani Gerlach who lives on the corner where the baby was found. “How can someone forget their baby?

The infant was taken to a local hospital to be checked over and is OK, Holmes said.

As police investigated at the scene, two witnesses, identified as friends of the suspect and her boyfriend, walked up and began to talk with officers.

The friends told officers the baby belonged to Clouser.

Holmes said while officers were talking to the friends, Clouser drove back to the scene.

Recently, in and amongst the debates surrounding the use of handheld devices by drivers, others have begun focusing their attention on drivers who allow their pets, specifically dogs or lap dogs, to wander loose in the vehicle while in motion.

Opponents of this type of behavior say this is a serious danger facing motorists today because the animals are unpredictable and could easily result in the driver being distracted and causing a crash. With all the attention on distracted driving caused by handheld devices, this issue has quickly gathered steam.

Already the issue is being debated in several state legislatures including Arizona. Some states already provide for a stiff fine, sometimes as much as $250, for drivers who allow their animals to roam free. Arizona legislators have not yet said what sort of punishment they would provide for drivers who flaunt the new law (if the law passes) but they have made it clear that the issue is worth their attention and some sort of new law will likely emerge as a result of their efforts.

Arizona, Connecticut and Maine residents can be penalized under distracted-driving laws if they’re driving with a pet in their lap. In Hawaii, drivers are not allowed to drive with pets in their laps; Rhode Island and Oregon are considering doing the same.

According to a 2011 pet passenger safety survey by AAA and Kurgo pet products, 65 percent of dog owners admitted to engaging in at least one potentially distracting activity while driving with their dog.

In that group, 52 percent said that activity included petting their pet, even when the animal was in the backseat. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, looking away from the road for just two seconds can double a driver’s risk of being in a crash.

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Although laws exist to force these drivers to move aside when emergency vehicles are coming through, it is difficult for police to enforce them as the moment quickly passes and emergency personnel don’t have time to record plate numbers.

Arizona emergency workers hope that by publicizing the situation they will increase public awareness of the issue and convince drivers to think twice before continuing on their merry way when emergency vehicles are trying to get by.

“There are several accidents,” said Capt. Rich Bauer with United Phoenix Firefighters. “You always see somebody lock on the brakes and somebody hit them from behind. I’ve seen it several times in my career. There have been a lot of close calls and sometimes we’ve been hit.”

In Denver, where police officers cite about 70 drivers yearly for failure to yield to emergency vehicles, an ambulance company is fitting some emergency vehicles with 200-watt ground-shaking amplifiers. The effort is to shake drivers into moving over and clear a path to the hospital.

In 2010 Arizona police made more than 800 DUI arrests during the same time period.

There were more than 1,300 Arizona law enforcement officers engaged in actively searching for drunk drivers during the three day holiday weekend, and although the numbers have been trending downward it seems likely the state will continue to press the issue, especially during holidays when Americans might be more prone to down a few brews and then hit the road.

Alberto Gutier, director of the state’s DUI Task Force under the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, said nearly 1,300 officers in Arizona worked DUI checkpoints over the weekend to nab revelers who were driving while intoxicated.

Gutier said he expected police to have arrested up to 550 drivers by the end of Memorial Day. That number continues a three-year downward trend in Memorial Day DUI arrests. In 2011, 614 people were arrested. In 2010, 849 were arrested.

Gutier said a number of forces drive the number of arrests on any given year including the number of police on patrol, the weather and events occurring inside the city that would keep people closer to home.

If you have lived in Arizona all your life you might be accustomed to high winds and fully understand just how much they can buffet your vehicle, even going as far as pushing your vehicle right off the road or tipping it. These high winds can also decrease visibility as they tend to kick-up a great deal of dust and dirt. This too makes driving dangerous as we all know how important it is to see where we are going when we get behind the wheel.

If you haven’t lived in Arizona, and haven’t experienced these winds yourself you might wonder what the big deal is. What difference could a little make to a big 3,000 pound vehicle? Plenty.

With a gust of wind blowing at 55 mph, and most cars going as fast or faster than this, the resulting force is strong enough to move your vehicle around like a toy. Ignoring these warnings could be detrimental to your health and your safe driving record.

A wind advisory form the National Weather Service said the state will be buffeted with high winds from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Gusts are expected to reach speeds of 55 mph.

The roads most likely to be affected are Interstates 10 and 40, especially in the northern and southern portions of Arizona.

Drivers experiencing high-wind conditions are asked to pull over if dust begins to blow. Those drivers should pull completely off the roadway and turn of their lights.

In Arizona municipal and state police are preparing for the increased traffic on state roads and highways by first warning drivers and their passengers to buckle up. Not just because it is the law (which it is in every state) but also because it is just plain safer for everyone involved.

Arizona is just one of the states participating in the national “Click It or Ticket” program. They will have increased patrols on all major roads and highways specifically watching for anyone not wearing a seat belt. And of course, they will be citing anyone they catch riding without a seat belt on.

So, if you are driving in Arizona this weekend, you don’t wear a seat belt and get a citation as a result, don’t say you weren’t warned.

As part of the national “Click It or Ticket” campaign, Arizona law enforcement agencies are ramping up traffic patrols to make sure you and your loved ones are wearing seatbelts every time you get in a car.

Between May 21st and June 3rd, the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety will take a zero-tolerance approach at seatbelt enforcement.

“Even though Arizona is a secondary law state for seatbelt usage, law enforcement officers will be taking a zero tolerance approach on drivers who are in violation of state law,” said Alberto Gutier, Director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.

Gutier says the “Click It or Ticket” campaign will help prevent needless tragedies on Arizona’s streets and highways.

Statistics from James Madison University show 80% of all deaths to children in motor vehicle accidents could be prevented with proper seatbelt and safety restraint use. In a 2002 report from the Naval Safety Center, 60% of more than 32,500 passengers killed in traffic accidents were not wearing their seatbelts.

In Arizona as in other states, many of these family road trips turn deadly due to unavoidable (or sometimes avoidable) fatal traffic collisions. Having an idea of which roadways are more dangerous, or where most of these crashes can help you prepare for your road trip by helping you plan accordingly.

ABC15.com, a local Arizona news network has created an interactive map of all deadly traffic crashes in the state. Users can visit the site, select a roadway and see how many fatal collisions have occurred in that area. They choose a stretch of highway or even an individual intersection.

On person was killed in the crash and two others seriously injured.

Distracted driving, whether you are using your cell phone or just fiddling with your radio dials, is known to cause serious, often fatal, traffic crashes. Using your laptop while you are driving is no less dangerous.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, in 2011 more than 3,000 people killed as a result of distracted driving. This prompted the NTSB to suggest a nation wide ban on the use of all handheld devices would save lives. Some states have since issued their own handheld devices bans, others already had them.

But if a driver is committed to not paying attention, it seems unlikely that the threat a traffic citation is going to dissuade them.

James T. Yates, 29, died when a Kia Sedona minivan collided head-on with a Jeep driving the opposite direction, said Sgt. Trent Crump, spokesman for the Phoenix Police Department. Yates was a passenger in the minivan.

The driver of the minivan was seriously injured and was reported in critical condition, Crump said.

The driver of the Jeep, who was not wearing a seat belt, was also seriously injured, Crump said. The driver was expected to survive.

Police say that about 1:45 p.m., the driver of the minivan was driving north on Seventh Street near Northern Avenue and got distracted by trying to look up an address on a laptop computer, Crump said.

The minivan crossed over into oncoming traffic and struck the Jeep, Crump said. The airbags deployed for all three involved in the crash.

The reasons for the decline seem to have more to do with the economy than any particular focus on safe driving. This comes despite a series of calls to ban distracted driving nationwide and efforts ate increasing teenage driving awareness and safety.

The fact is, during a down economy and with gasoline prices rising, people are naturally driving less. The less they drive the fewer opportunities they have to be involved in a serious (or any kind) of vehicle crash. The fewer crashes, the fewer deaths. The math isn’t hard to calculate.

There is also something to be said for the increase safety of today’s vehicles and improvements being made to roads, intersections, bridges and highways which create a safer environment for drivers.

It is a little bit more difficult to understand why these three areas have outpaced the national average however. What forces are at work in these three states which have caused traffic fatalities to increase while nation wide traffic fatalities are down?

That is a question California traffic experts are trying to figure out:

Last year’s national decline in traffic fatalities — to 32,310 — came as motorists drove about 36 billion, or about 1.2%, fewer miles, perhaps because of high gas prices and a still-difficult economy that might have discouraged pleasure road trips.

The 2011 fatality rate is projected to decline to the lowest on record, to 1.09 fatalities for every 100 million vehicle miles traveled, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Traffic deaths have fallen by about 26% since the 43,510 fatalities reported in 2005; highway fatalities peaked in 1972, at 54,589. In 1949, there were 30,246 fatalities, but the rate was 7.13 fatalities for every 100 million vehicle miles traveled.

Traffic safety experts attributed the decline to a number of factors — “probably people driving less, safer vehicles, safer roads and an improvement in the safety culture across the United States,’’ Jacob Nelson, director of traffic safety advocacy for the AAA national office, said in an interview.

Jonathan Adkins of the Governors Highway Safety Assn. cited increased seat belt use, safer cars, better roads and an improved emergency medical service response effort. “Also, the economy continues to keep traffic deaths lower than normal,” he added.

In Arizona, Buckeye Police Department has been working to do as much educating of drivers as they do citing them for traffic infractions, and as a result, fewer citations are needing to be handed out. This is good news for drivers and good news for the state as the incidence of traffic crashes seems to be declining.

There certainly is no substitute for an excellent defensive driving course, but when it comes to traffic laws, the police almost always know what they are talking about so it’s a good idea to listen to them. The Buckeye Traffic Unit has been tasked with spotting drivers who might be unaware of their poor driving skills and helping them understand both Arizona traffic law and what they might be able to do better behind the wheel.

This is a good idea for public safety and a good idea for drivers.

Officers Erick Halim and Larry Buchanan make up Buckeye’s traffic unit, which was created in September 2009 when the Police Department bought two motorcycles using grant money from the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. A year later, they added an undercover Ford Mustang, which also was purchased with highway safety office grant money, to help catch aggressive drivers.

The number of traffic citations officers wrote spiked in fiscal 2010, the unit’s first year, with speeding tickets increasing from 1,351 in fiscal 2009 to 2,165. Criminal speeding — driving 20 mph over in a 45-mph zone — jumped from 9 to 27 in the same time. Similarly, citations for failing to stop at a stop sign increased from 350 to 506.

But the numbers have been on the decline since, with speeding citations dropping to 1,339 and 948 in fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2012 (through March 31), respectively. Stop-sign violations fell to 403 and 295 in the same time period, while DUI arrests have dropped from 215 in fiscal 2010 to 87 in fiscal 2012.

Unfortunately, despite its stellar natural grandeur, Arizona does not embrace bicyclists the way some people would prefer. In fact, bike only lanes are few and far between and riders risk their lives as most roads do not even have a shoulder for them to ride on to avoid traffic.

The Arizona Transit Association is seeking public opinion on moves to increase the number of bike lanes and available riding areas for bicyclists around the state. This move is meant to support anyone seeking an alternative mode of transport other than an automobile.

It is also a sign that those who drive in Arizona should be aware that they are sharing the road with bicyclists who might not have wiggle room when they are passed by cars.

The Bicycle and Pedestrian Program was initiated in 2003. The number of cyclists using roads, especially in Southern Arizona has grown considerably since that time. The economic downturn has affected road quality (just take highway 83 south to Parker Canyon Lake to see it in action), as well as road upkeep. Updating the plan is vitally important for everyone using Arizona’s highways.

In a state where cars are king, and downtowns lose out to urban sprawl and buses are seen as smog spewing monsters instead of the beneficial people movers that they are, the voice of Arizona’s pedestrians and cyclists needs to carry some weight. The only way that this can be accomplished is through effort. Drivers of cars need no voice in Phoenix, they already have it. So, if you care about riding or walking in this state, you have to balance out all the cars who have already had their say.

The added roadways will improve traffic flow and help reduce commuting times by allowing room for more vehicles.

Local residents have been complaining for years about the long delays and the heavy traffic on Loop 303. This has led the ADOT to focus expansion efforts on the roadway which will (they hope) alleviate the traffic problems.

Increased roadway congestion is not just a problem when you are trying to get some place, it is also a leading cause of aggressive driving and leads to more collisions. Heavily congested roads also means that cars spend more time idling in traffic. This increases the amount of greenhouse gases they can release into the atmosphere and cuts down on their fuel efficiency.

By expanding one roadway Arizona Department of Transportation can help increase fuel economy, cut down on the number of traffic accidents and make it easier for some Arizonans to get back and forth to school, work or wherever they are going.

Details about the new Loop 303 projects from ADOT:

• Loop 303 between Thomas and Camelback roads
$31.5 million contract awarded to Ames Construction, Inc.
Length of Freeway Segment: 2 miles
Construction Start: June 2012
Scheduled Completion: Summer 2014

• Loop 303 between Glendale and Peoria avenues
$65.1 million contract awarded to Pulice Construction, Inc.
Length of Freeway Segment: 3 miles
Project includes construction of Northern Parkway interchange and a one-mile section of Northern Parkway between Loop 303 and Sarival Avenue.
Construction Start: June 2012
Scheduled Completion: Fall 2014

Now, members of the ‘Not One More Cyclist Foundation’ are pushing legislators to pass distracted driving laws and get drivers to focus on being more careful behind the wheel. The group points to a number of recent car vs bicyclist accidents as yet more reminders that when drivers fail to pay attention, people get hurt.

A distracted driving law in Arizona would not only protect bicyclists, it would also protect drivers by forcing them to focus on paying attention behind the wheel, instead of texting or talking on a cell phone.

In 2008, Sterling Baer and Dara Schulenberg founded the Not One More Cyclist Foundation, which works to educate the public on cyclist safety, pushes for legislation and helps families of injured cyclists hit on Arizona roads. According to the most recent state data available, 19 bicyclists were killed on Arizona roads in 2010.

Organizers tried to draw the attention of Arizona legislators to pass a bill to protect “vulnerable users” on the road, such as bicyclists and people in wheelchairs — basically, anyone who can encounter a motor vehicle.

“If we institute a distracted-driver law, there will be more awareness in the mind of people driving behind the wheel,” Baer said.

Arizona has some of the toughest laws against driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The first arrest will result in jail time for every offender. That’s one DUI, one stint in the local jail. Not a pretty picture and certainly not the way anyone would want to spend their Cinco de Mayo holiday.

Just one DUI arrest in Arizona is a criminal offense punishable by up to six months in the county jail and up to a $2,500 fine plus an 84 percent surcharge. That’s a lot of dough just so you can have a few hours of fun with your friends.

Despite the odds being against them some folks in Arizona cannot resist drinking too much and then getting behind the wheel of their car or truck. Last 500 people in Arizona were arrested for drunk driving during Cinco de Mayo festivities. That number is in addition to the including 167 extreme DUI arrest that they made.

To counter this effect, every law enforcement agency in the state will be on high alert this May 5, watching carefully for impaired drivers, setting up DUI checkpoints and generally being cognizant that at least of the few of the drivers on the road with them will be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. When it comes to fighting drunk driving, the odds are clearly in the favor of the police. Plus, as an added bonus, if you drive sober you greatly increase your chances of getting home alive.

This Cinco de Mayo, have fun, but drive safe. You’ll not only save some money you might just save a life.

All of this may change, however, following an Arizona Senate Appropriations Committee vote of 8-4 Tuesday to redefine the boundaries of every intersection, essentially expanding them. Arizona HB 2557 also redefines it in the state’s traffic code. If the bill passes a full vote it would require all red light camera pavement sensors be moved farthing away from the what is now the center of the intersection.

As approved, HB 2557 says the intersection starts at any painted “stop’ line or at the first crosswalk line a vehicle would encounter going into an intersection, whichever comes first.”

Effectively, it would mean drivers will be less likely to trigger the camera if they were trying to beat the light change.

This good news for drivers who like to press their luck at intersections where the light is in the process of changing, but bad news for cities like Phoenix which have reported their red light cameras have resulted in fewer injuries and deaths related to crashes at intersections. Senate Majority Leader Andy Biggs said it didn’t matter what results had been for the city of Phoenix, he was only concerned with testimony from traffic safety experts, none of whom have commented one way or the other.

Arizona Sen. Frank Antenori, R-Tucson, authored HB 2557, and has been a vocal opponent of photo enforcement of traffic violations for years. He said if passed the new law would bring Arizona in line with 38 states which also use red light cameras.