MDOT Has a Pothole Hotline!

It is said that only two things in life are certain- death and taxes. For those of us who live in  Michigan, the emergence of potholes in the Spring can be added to the list as well.  

The Michigan Department of Transportation has created a pothole hotline for state roadways. To report a pothole, you can call 888-296-4546 at any time of the day or night, seven days a week, or use the "Report Potholes" link. When you report a pothole, you will need to know the location, the county, the closest community and the cross street or interchange nearby.  

Potholes on non-state roads should be reported to local road commissions since MDOT does not have jurisdiction over roads that are not part of the state system.

For a handy pictorial showing the Birth of a Pothole, click here.

OPRAH WINFREY, HARPO STUDIOS ANNOUNCE NATIONAL “NO PHONE ZONE DAY” FRIDAY, APRIL 30

OPRAH WINFREY,  HARPO STUDIOS ANNOUNCE NATIONAL “NO PHONE ZONE DAY” FRIDAY, APRIL 30

--U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS), FocusDriven, SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) and RADD, the Entertainment Industry’s Voice for Road Safety, join Winfrey for national day of awareness to end distracted driving--

CHICAGO—On Friday April 30, 2010, Oprah Winfrey and Harpo Studios are taking a stand against distracted driving, launching a new public service announcement campaign and joining forces with some of the country’s preeminent transportation safety organizations to declare Friday, April 30th the first national “No Phone Zone Day.” A large-scale effort to honor victims of distracted driving, “No Phone Zone Day” will also educate and activate Americans to end the deadly driving habits that kill nearly 6,000 Americans a year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The announcement was made today on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”


“A call or text isn’t worth taking a life,” said Winfrey. “We must not allow more mothers and fathers, daughters and sons, sisters and brothers to die before we take action against distracted driving. Let’s put a stop to it now, by joining together on April 30 th for national ‘No Phone Zone Day’, and by making our cars a ‘No Phone Zone.’”


“I’ve made it my mission at the DOT to end distracted driving. We know that if we can get people to put away cell phones and other electronic devices when they are behind the wheel, we can save thousands of lives and prevent hundreds of thousands of injuries every year” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. “That’s why I’m proud to support and participate in Oprah’s 'No Phone Zone Day.'”


On Friday April 30th, “The Oprah Winfrey Show” will present a special live episode devoted to ending distracted driving. In conjunction with the episode, Harpo Studios is mobilizing communities to take action at "No Phone Zone Day" viewing rallies to be held in Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. “Oprah” show partner stations WSB-TV Channel 2 in Atlanta, WCVB-TV Channel 5 in Boston, WXYZ Channel 7 in Detroit, KABC ABC7 in Los Angeles and WJLA ABC7 in Washington, D.C. will support the rallies in their respective markets. The planned rallies will bring together victims’ families, elected officials, advocacy organizations, parents, youth, and law enforcement to discuss best practices and steps to limit distracted driving in their own communities. In addition, a new "No Phone Zone" public service announcement campaign will be showcased on the April 30th “Oprah” show.


A working coalition of transportation safety organizations will come together as part of “No Phone Zone Day” activities and viewing rallies across the country, including U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and the Department of Transportation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS), FocusDriven, SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), RADD, the Entertainment Industry’s Voice for Road Safety, and more.

In addition, "No Phone Zone" corporate partners Sprint, General Motors/Chevrolet and Liberty Mutual will lend their support, both for national “No Phone Zone Day" and in the coming months to spread the "No Phone Zone" message.

As a national call to action, all viewers and town hall participants will be asked to take the "No Phone Zone" pledge. By pledging, drivers agree to make their car a "No Phone Zone" and refrain from using their phone while driving, eliminating distractions from incoming calls, texts or emails. More than 160,000 people to date have signed Oprah’s "No Phone Zone" pledge at Oprah.com. Many celebrities have already joined the cause, including Oscar® winners Sandra Bullock, Jeff Bridges and Mo’Nique, comedian Jerry Seinfeld, actress and icon Raquel Welch, Olympic superstar Shaun White, country music’s Lady Antebellum, entertainer and entrepreneur Tyler Perry, the cast of TV’s “Glee” and many more.

A 2008 NHTSA study indicated that at any given moment during the daylight hours, more than 800,000 vehicles are being driven by someone using a hand-held cell phone. According to a 2005 study for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, drivers are four times less likely to get into accidents serious enough to cause injury when they turn off their cell phones while behind the wheel. For more information on “No Phone Zone Day,” and to take the No Phone Zone pledge, please visit www.oprah.com/nophonezone. For additional information on distracted driving, visit www.distraction.gov.

MADD Accepting Nominations for Prosecutor Life Saver Award

MADD Michigan is currently accepting nominations for the Prosecutor Life Saver Award(s).

The award is given to one or two prosecutors a year for their contributions to stop drunk driving and to support victims of this violent crime.

The Criteria for Awards is as follows:

• New or significant issue regarding impaired driving. This may involve a novel legal issue.

• Year long demonstration of "daily extraordinary work."

• High profile case or complicated issue. This criterion would demonstrate the prosecutor having gone "above and beyond" the normal bounds of duty.

• Impact on victim services. This criterion would demonstrate how the prosecutor directly provided services to a victim that demonstrates effort "above and beyond" the normal bounds of duty.

The Period of Adjudication for this award is : May 1, 2009 through April 30, 2010

The winner of the award will receive a plaque that will be presented at the prosecutor's Annual Conference in July. Winners will also receive one night's lodging at the conference

Access the nomination form and help to recognize a worthy prosecutor today!

For more information, please contact me at 906-225-7036, or Homer Smith, Executive Director for MADD Michigan at 517-487-6233.

MSP Iron River trooper honored for dedication to ensuring children ride safely in cars

Sgt. Christine Grabowski nominated Trooper Eric Farnsworth for the GTSAC award

LANSING – An 11-year veteran of the Michigan Department of State Police (MSP) was honored at the Governor’s Traffic Safety Advisory Commission (GTSAC) annual awards luncheon on Wednesday, March 31 at the Kellogg Conference Center in East Lansing for his efforts to ensure children ride safely in passenger vehicles.


Each year the commission honors organizations, programs and individuals for outstanding contributions to traffic safety. The awards luncheon is part of the 15th Annual Michigan Traffic Safety Summit. Seven traffic safety and three long-term awards are being presented.


In 2002, Trooper Eric Farnsworth started a car seat program at the MSP Iron River Post by obtaining donations from local businesses and community organizations to purchase car seats. He discovered that many of the seats he checked were purchased at yard sales or thrift shops, or were hand-me-downs. Further, most of the car seats were incorrectly installed and some were even on recall lists. Farnsworth soon began a campaign to promote proper car seat use to parents in the western Upper Peninsula.


Farnsworth annually installs 40 car seats at the Iron River Post and assists other technicians at numerous car seat clinics throughout the year. He also makes presentations at local schools about seat belts, car seats and booster seats and promotes car seat use at local events. His dedication to ensuring children ride in vehicles safely is well known and local law enforcement regularly direct families in need of car seats to contact Farnsworth.


In 2009, he installed a new seat for a 14-month-old girl who was involved in a serious head-on crash with her mother the following day. Deputies attributed her survival to the proper installation of her car seat.


The GTSAC was formed in 2002 to serve as the state’s forum for identifying key traffic safety challenges and developing and implementing plans to address those issues. The GTSAC is comprised of representatives from: Community Health, Education, State, State Police, Transportation, Office of Services to the Aging, Office of Highway Safety Planning and the Office of the Governor. There are also three representatives from local government appointed by the Governor.