Message Monday - Turn signal, you light up my life

September 16, 2019

Most of the time when you’re behind the wheel, you know exactly where you want to go. Unfortunately, the drivers around you can’t read your mind. Turn signals were invented to improve safety by alerting other drivers of your intentions.

These days, all vehicles are equipped with blinking turn signals to indicate where you want to go. In recent models, those turn signals may also connect to safety systems to alert you of vehicles or obstacles in the lane you are signaling to merge into.

Personnel Updates for Aug. 9 to Aug. 30, 2019

September 12, 2019

Information provided by the Bureau of Budget and Business Systems

Message Monday - I scream, you scream, we all slow down

September 9, 2019

It’s a very busy time of year for many Iowa families. School events, preparing for harvest, and any number of other late summer/early fall activities can make you feel rushed to get where you’re going.

Rushing around and feeling stressed can lead to aggressive driving. A recent study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that nearly 80 percent of drivers expressed significant anger, aggression or road rage behind the wheel at least once in the previous year. Previous research by the AAA Foundation found that from 2003 to 2007, over half of fatal crashes involved at least one driver who performed a potentially aggressive action.

Message Monday - Choose wisely- police or rideshare - don't drive drunk

September 2, 2019

Life is full of choices. Some are minor, others can change your life. One seemingly minor decision that could have life-altering impacts is the choice to drive after you’ve been drinking. Almost 34 percent of Iowa’s traffic fatality crashes in 2018 involved an impaired driver. That’s 108 people who died because of someone’s bad choice.

Last Labor Day weekend, five people died on Iowa roadways. Three of those deaths were caused by an impaired driver. If you are closing out the summer with a few drinks, make the right choice and arrange for a designated driver or call a rideshare service to get you home safely.

September 2019 Service awards

August 30, 2019

Information provided by the Budget and Business Systems Bureau

SE Iowa family credit seat belts for saving them in a crash

August 26, 2019

It’s an exciting time in the Danville home of the Boughton family. The backpacks are loaded and ready for Harris, 6, and Cate, 5, to start school. But the excitement over a new school year could have been eclipsed by tragedy. On July 19, Bridgette Boughton and her two children were in a crash on U.S. 61 between Burlington and Mediapolis.

“My husband Shawn and I have always been sticklers for making sure the kids are buckled up. It’s just what you do,” said Boughton, “But after the crash, it really hit me that my kids could have died without being properly buckled into those seats. It’s so much more than just a routine thing.”