12/6/2013

Aeronautics
Aircraft search scaled back under threat of more bad weather
The week-long search for an airplane missing since Dec. 1 was scaled back Friday (Dec. 6) because of concern over approaching storms and the safety of searchers. The missing airplane with five occupants was reported missing after radar contact was lost about a mile east of the remote and rugged area near Johnson Creek Airstrip south of Yellow Pine, 50 miles northeast of Cascade.
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Transportation board
Dealer Advisory Board to give annual report to board
The Idaho Transportation Board will consider an annual report from the Dealer Advisory Board (DAB) during its final monthly meeting of the year. The business meeting will be Wednesday in the Darrell V Manning boardroom and auditorium at Headquarters.
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Highway safety
Good driving choices reduce vehicle crashes, fatalities
An increase in highway fatalities nationwide for 2012 serves to remind Idaho drivers to make the right choices this winter and never drive distracted, impaired or aggressively. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports the number of auto-related fatalities across the U.S. increased by 1,000 last year to 33,561.
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HIghway safety
ISP officers earn Highway Safety Office awards
Idaho’s official crash statistics are only as good as the data behind them. For ITD’s Office of Highway Safety, that means law enforcement officers fill out an accurate Idaho Vehicle Crash Report.
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Employees
D-3 pauses to honor contributions of employees
Like a lot of other departments, the volume of work at ITD's District 3 has contributed at times to an environment where individual contributions were not readily acknowledged. So a few years ago during Employee Appreciation Week, the district instituted a “thank you” display, allowing cards, articles and notes of gratitude to be posted regarding examples of above-and-beyond service.  
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Highway safety
Drivers riding new wave — surfing behind the wheel
Brent Jennings: A recent survey conducted by State Farm indicates the number of Americans who are surfing the web behind the wheel has doubled in the past five years. Nearly one in four, or 24 percent of drivers, is reading or responding to email, and checking social media sites. That's up from 13 percent in 2009.
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Highways
Encore (11-29-13): District 3's Carl Vaughn named Maintenance Person of the Year
ITD honored Carl Vaughn, lead worker for District 3’s Hammett area, as the 2013 Maintenance Person of the Year for his tireless efforts to provide safe travel. The selection was announced at last week’s Transportation Board meeting in Boise by retiring Chief Engineer Tom Cole.
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Highways
Encore (11-29-13): Terry Smith named 2013 Safety Person of the Year
Terry Smith’s remarkable efforts to keep mountain passes in his maintenance area open during winter storms and his ongoing commitment to safety earned him 2013 Safety Person of the Year honors.
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Highways
Encore (11-29-13): It’s a good sign
From Six-Bits, Distrtict 6 newsletter: Driving the highways of eastern Idaho isn’t a pleasure trip for Cleston Mason, Corey Finn or Karl Grover. That’s because each of the District 6 technicians is obsessed with looking for signs in need of repair or replacement.
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Commercial drivers
Encore (11-29-13): Idaho implements the Commercial Skills Test System
As part of its continuing efforts to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving large trucks and buses, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is working with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) to reduce fraud. It recently introduced a new Commercial Skills Test Information Management System (CSTIMS) to improve safety.
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