News & Resources

Dec. 20, 2011

Focus on the road Winner Gets New Ford Focus

Jody Mealy of Portland, Mo., pledged to focus on the road and not drive distracted. On Monday evening, as a result of that pledge, she won a new car just in time for Christmas.

A 2012 Ford Focus from Joe Machens Ford was awarded to Mealy at the Machens dealership in Columbia as part of an awareness campaign to keep drivers attentive behind the wheel. The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety teamed up with Machens Ford and KRCG-TV to sponsor the "Focus on the Road" campaign.

Nearly 9,000 people made the pledge on KRCG's website to stay focused on driving. Of the entries, 11 finalists were chosen and each was given a key to try in the new vehicle on Monday evening and the winner was announced during KRCG's 6 p.m. broadcast.

Each day, distracted driving causes nearly 8,000 crashes nationwide. In 2010, a total of 3,092 people were killed in crashes involving distracted drivers in the U.S. Driver distractions include a wide range of activities from putting on makeup to tuning a radio, but the most common is using a cell phone. Recent research showed dialing a phone increases the risk of a crash by as much as six times, and people texting are 23 times more likely to be in a crash.

"When you're behind the wheel, there is no more important activity than being focused on the road," said MoDOT Highway Safety Director Leanna Depue. "No conversation or text is worth the risk of a crash."

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For media questions, contact:

Sandra Hentges - 573-526-4141

sandra.hentges@modot.mo.gov

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