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Road Warrior: Repaving work on Lomas to begin Monday; NM has most distracted drivers, study says
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Happy Monday.
Let鈥檚 begin by giving kudos to my colleague Nakayla McClelland for her solid piece about car headlights last week.
Speaking of headlights ...
With the below freezing temperatures this week, it is time to give the vehicle some attention.
According to the New Mexico Department of Transportation, it is wise to check on those headlights, tires and batteries while keeping the gas tanks full and stashing a winter kit inside the vehicle. The kit should include a flashlight, hand warmer packets, blankets, first-aid kit, high-energy snacks, nonperishable foods, bottled water, a shovel, scraper and battery booster cables, according to NMDOT.
Stay warm and safe.
REPAVING LOMAS: On Monday, the city of Albuquerque will begin work on Lomas Boulevard from Juan Tabo Boulevard to Tomasita Street.
The project will consist of repaving all lanes and improve the curb and gutters along the road. The nearly one mile project is expected to take about 90 days to complete, Department of Municipal Development spokesperson Dan Mayfield said.
鈥淚n Albuquerque it鈥檚 a big job to maintain our 4,600 miles of roadway,鈥� said DMD Director Jennifer Turner in a statement. 鈥淲e rely on data to tell us when it鈥檚 time to repave streets. This project should improve this critical route in the city.鈥�
PASEO TO RICHLAND: Shanna and Greg Jarrett wondered about the work on westbound Paseo del Norte Boulevard between Eagle Ranch Road and Rancho Sereno Road/Richland Hills Drive.
鈥淭he new curbs, shoulder and pedestrian path were seemingly finished months ago, and there also appears to have been an addition of a new lane on the south side that has been blocked by orange barrels,鈥� Shanna Jarrett said. 鈥淗owever, we have not seen any more (work) on anything on a long time, and we are wondering, what exactly is the plan for that area, and when will work be completed?鈥�
There has been recent work in the median to repair and replace the landscaping, said NMDOT District 3 spokesperson Kim Gallegos.
The overall project includes ADA improvements, signal, turn bay, multi-use path and auxiliary improvements. An additional eastbound and westbound lane will also be put in between Coors Boulevard and Richland Hills Drive, Gallegos said.
Work has been halted 鈥渦ntil temperatures rise again in the spring,鈥� she said.
DISTRACTION: New Mexico has the most distracted drivers, . Louisiana, Kansas, Kentucky and New Jersey round out the top five.
Distracted driving crashes in New Mexico are most often committed by male drivers between 45鈥�64 years old, the study states.
WhistleOut provided a list of suggestions on how to prevent distracted driving:
- Not texting and driving: Keep the phone down and use hands-free calling.
- Stop driving if drowsy. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to get tired on long drives, but driving while drowsy is unsafe,鈥� the study states. 鈥淟uckily, there are many rest areas on highways and places where you can stop for the night.鈥�
- Multi-task outside the car: 鈥淒o not multitask while driving 鈥� even if you think it鈥檚 just a quick and easy thing like pulling up directions,鈥� the study states. 鈥淎lso, if you鈥檙e driving with passengers, you can ask them to do some tasks for you.鈥�
- Don鈥檛 use the phone: 鈥淵ou can set up music and have it playing through the speakers, or make a hands-free Bluetooth call,鈥� according to the study. 鈥淏ut if you鈥檙e holding your phone to talk, text, search, or tap the screen, that鈥檚 a major distraction and is a big no-no.鈥�
- Put on the smartphone鈥檚 driving mode: iPhones (Driving Focus) and Android devices (Google Assistant driving mode) have dedicated do-not-disturb modes for drivers. 鈥淭hese features can prevent distractions from popping up on your device and allow you to verbally tell your phone to complete tasks like making phone calls or playing music,鈥� WhistleOut said.
