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Board hears local crash reports and ADOT unveils safety campaign: ‘There’s No Such Thing as Accidents’
Summary
Local residents described repeated dangerous passing and collisions on U.S. 70 and other rural highways; ADOT Director outlined a statewide safety campaign that emphasizes driver behavior and an internal employee pledge.
Residents, a mining company representative and ADOT leadership highlighted roadway safety concerns at the Aug. 15 Arizona State Transportation Board meeting and described agency efforts to reduce fatal crashes.
Bill Brando, a Graham County resident, described multiple crashes and near-misses on U.S. 70 and other rural routes, recounting several incidents in which vehicles collided while passing or struck farm equipment on two-lane stretches. “I could tell you stories all day long about that,” Brando said during public comment, stressing the need for enforcement and design changes on local highways.
Kevin Beasty of Freeport-McMoRan updated the board on a safety initiative in Morenci that grew from company and community concern about speeding and unsafe passing. “The two main ones were speed and unsafe passing,” Beasty said, and he credited local law enforcement and ADOT for contributing to a roadway safety analysis and outreach effort.
ADOT Director (participating virtually) described a forthcoming statewide safety campaign called “There’s No Such Thing as Accidents,” focused on driver choices such as speeding and not wearing restraints. Director Toth said the campaign will use TV, radio, social media and in-person partnerships and will include an internal “driver’s seat pledge” for ADOT employees. The director linked the campaign to the agency’s strategic highway safety plan and framed crashes caused by driver behavior as preventable.
Board members and speakers emphasized a combination of enforcement, design improvements and public education. Freeport and local officials said they will partner with ADOT and law enforcement on local messaging and enforcement activities.
Why this matters: Local testimony and industry outreach underscore persistent safety issues on rural two-lane highways. ADOT’s new campaign frames most crashes as preventable and signals increased agency emphasis on behavior change and partner outreach.
