SIKESTON-If you live in Bollinger County on Route 34 near Marble Hill, or in Butler County near the two-lane section of Route 67 south of Poplar Bluff, you may see a new sign with a new message: "Travel Safe Zone-Fines Doubled." These two areas in Southeast Missouri have recently been identified as areas that meet the Travel Safe Zone criteria.

"A Travel Safe Zone is an area where driver awareness needs a boost, and we hope the signs and enforcement will do that," said Lt. Jeff Vitale, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Troop E. "The Southeast Coalition for Roadway Safety identified two areas in our district that meet this criteria. After researching these two areas, and meeting with area law enforcement and officials, the decision was made to move forward with the two Travel Safe Zones."

The Southeast Coalition for Roadway Safety alerted MoDOT and area law enforcement of the two roadways in Southeast Missouri that they felt might meet the Travel Safe Zone criteria; a five-mile stretch in Bollinger County (on Route 34, starting just west of the Marble Hill City limits, and ending near County Road 808), and a 4.72-mile section in Butler County (on Route 67, beginning approximately 1.4 miles south of Route M and continuing south to approximately 0.22 miles south of Route 160). In identifying these two roadways, the coalition agreed to sponsor the funding needed to facilitate the two Travel Safe Zones. 

"The main goal of the Southeast Coalition for Roadway Safety is to help reduce fatalities and disabling injuries on our Missouri roadways," said Southeast Coalition Regional Committee Chairperson Lt. John Davis, Cape Girardeau Police Department. "One way to do this, is to identify corridors where driver conduct has produced unsafe driving habits, such as excessive speeding, unsafe passing, etc. Then, we partner with the local law enforcement, local communities, and MoDOT to establish a Traffic Safe Zone."

MoDOT uses Travel Safe Zones to improve safety of a specific roadway segment. A "Travel Safe Zones-Fines Double" sign is placed to designate the beginning point of a Travel Safe Zone, while a "Fines Doubled Ends" sign identifies where the zone ends. Within these designated locations, the fines imposed for moving or speeding violations are doubled. The Missouri legislature established Travel Safe Zones in 2008 with the enactment of Missouri Revised Statue 304.590.

Electronic message boards are currently displayed in Bollinger and Butler Counties along the new Travel Safe Zones to inform people of the new changes. The doubling of fines will be implemented starting in February 2009.

"The ultimate result in establishing these Travel Safe Zones, is to save lives," said Lt. Jim McNiell, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Troop E. "The two roadways that have been identified, have a history of high speed drivers. We are hoping that with the implementation of these Travel Safe Zones, that people will slow down, and Arrive Alive."

The Southeast Coalition for Roadway Safety is an independent coalition made up of safety advocates from a variety of backgrounds; members include individuals from hospitals, police departments, the highway patrol, MoDOT, civic groups, and various safety organizations. The ultimate goal of the coalition is to reduce fatal and disabling accidents on Missouri roads. The Coalition uses several strategies to achieve this goal. So far, through efforts of the coalition, Missouri fatalities have fallen from 1,257 in 2005 to 949 in 2008. The new goal is 850 or less by the end of 2012.              

For more information on the importance of roadway safety, visit http://www.savemolives.com/. For more information on Travel Safe Zones visit http://www.modot.org/ or call MoDOT's customer service center toll-free at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1-888-275-6636).

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