TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Dust storms are common in Arizona, especially during monsoon. The Arizona Department of Transportation urges people to refrain from driving during a dust storm. But if drivers need to go out or find themselves in a dust storm, the spokesman for ADOT Garin Groff said it's important for people to pull over, turn off their lights, turn the car off and turn the lights off.
"Your taillights could be used as a beacon by a vehicle behind you to drive into you, that's why you want to keep your lights off," Groff said.
For the last five years, ADOT has used a dust detection system on I-10 between Picacho and Eloy. It detects when visibility goes down to zero and warns drivers of blowing dust. It can also change certain speed limit signs.
"As we've looked back, we've seen that the system has activated fifty times over the last four years," Groff said.
More safety information about driving during dust storms can be found here.
