Why would anyone in their right mind jump out of a perfectly good airplane? “Well, I’m doing it to help kids,” said Brent Coggins, engineering technician in the District 2 Office in Mason City. “The June 22 jump is called “The Sky is the Limit 2014,” and it benefits the RT Autism Awareness Foundation in Rochester, Minn., where I live.”
By 2030, there will be an estimated 58.9 million people age 65 and older – that's 1 in 5 people. Older Americans are expected to represent 1 in 4 licensed drivers at that time. Personal mobility is critical for healthy aging, but as our bodies change as we age, ill-fitting vehicles can make it uncomfortable and unsafe to drive. Additionally, due to fragility, older drivers have the highest crash death rate per mile of everyone except teenagers. CarFit is a tool that can work to keep seniors safer behind the wheel.
Special Olympics transforms the lives of people — not only the athletes that compete, but also those who support them. For many years, the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Office of Motor Vehicle Enforcement staff have supported Special Olympics Iowa by braving frigid waters for polar plunges, perching atop buildings for Cop on Top events, rappelling down buildings for Over the Edge promotions, pulling an airplane with a rope, assisting with the World’s Largest Truck Convoy, and proudly carrying the torch to kick off the beginning of each summer’s games.
Planning to wrap up the long holiday weekend with a few beers? If you are going to drink today (or any day) and then need to travel, remember to always designate a sober driver.
Extra enforcement will be on the roadways looking for seat belt violations, as well as buzzed and drunk driving.
Do yourself a favor and don’t drive hammered because chances are pretty good you’re going to get nailed.
Check out this video: http://youtu.be/o21PkDPl_xs
Information provided by the Office of Employee Services
In a lifetime, the average American spends up to three years waiting in line, according to Answers.com. Want to cut down your wait time if you need to visit one of the Iowa DOT 19 driver’s license stations? Check out a new addition to the Iowa DOT’s website, Web cameras at each driver’s license station.
It was a great weekend for the first race of the year at the Iowa Speedway. Not only is this the beginning of racing season, the next couple of weeks is also the national “Click it or Ticket” seat belt enforcement effort to increase seat belt usage prior to and during the busy Memorial Day weekend.
With these two events, it seems like the appropriate time to remind everyone that not wearing a seat belt and speeding/aggressive driving are the two most common driving behaviors that contribute to traffic deaths. In 2013, according to Iowa law enforcement, the lack of seat belt use contributed to 171 deaths and speeding/aggressive driving was noted on the crash reports for 158 people who died (some crashes listed a combination of one or more factors.)
Let’s leave speeding for the professionals at the race track. If you want to act like a race car driver, remember that they ALWAYS buckle up.
Humans need to interact socially. It’s in our nature. When that social interaction also helps others, the benefits grow even larger. At the Iowa DOT, one way employees are encouraged to interact and give back is through the All for One Committee, promoting an employee food drive and Toys for Tots campaign, among other initiatives.
Iowa DOT Director Paul Trombino III, said, “The DOT's All for One Committee plans activities throughout the year making it easy for employees to give back to our communities. The Management Team recognizes that giving back not only makes a difference in the lives of the people you are helping, but also has a positive effect on the attitudes and health of the person giving back.”
You’ve probably seen this Message Monday a hundred times before, but the idea behind it is the single most important thing anyone in a vehicle can do to save lives and reduce major injuries. Buckling up takes a two seconds and could save you from becoming a statistic.
Of the 317 fatalities in Iowa last year, law enforcement reports that 171 (54%) of those people would likely have survived the crash had they been properly restrained in their vehicles. Of the 87 fatalities so far this year, 36 were unbelted. “Click it or ticket” is a national campaign that encourages law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for drivers who don’t buckle up.
Make it easy on them and yourself. Be sure you and all of your passengers are wearing their seatbelts.
This is an increase of 6 from last week.
Check out this YouTube video about your neighborhood friendly cop watching out for your best interest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzzQa9v79r8
Whoever coined the phrase “squirrel cage” to refer to a fan blower motor cage was on to something.
On May 5, Dan Christeson, a mechanic in the Mason City maintenance garage, turned on the fan blower in one of the Iowa DOT’s Chevy Colorado trucks. To his surprise, the vehicle made a horrible noise. He said, “It sounded like…thump, thump, thump.”
