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Introduction: Kansas Driving

Imagine that every day for the next year, a fully-loaded, 110-passenger jetliner crashes, taking the lives of everyone on board. By the end of the year, more than 40,000 people would die. Predictably, the public would get upset...and would be demanding some kind of action.

That's exactly what happens on our nation's highways: Nearly 40,000 people die in traffic crashes each and every year in the United States. In airplane crashes, a mechanical malfunction of the airplane itself is frequently at fault; passengers have little control. But in a vehicle on the roadway, people have a lot of control. Yet, the tragic fact is most crashes occur as a result of driver error. Safety experts estimate 92 percent of all fatalities are caused by human error.

Each year, in Kansas alone, more than 400 people lose their lives and more than 30,000 are seriously injured. To reduce this senseless loss of life and thousands of serious injuries, drivers need to realize their behavior and attitudes are major parts of the solution. We at the Kansas Department of Transportation are dedicated to doing our part by providing quality roads, clear signage and safe bridges. You, as a driver, need to do your part as well.

There's an old saying, "Knowledge is power." We hope some of the information offered here can help empower you to be a safer driver.