Archives: July 2021
July 2021 Service awards
July 2, 2021
Information provided by the Budget and Business Systems Bureau
Roadside Chat - Have you had a chat about safe driving today?
July 2, 2021
What types of conversations do you typically have with your passengers while you’re driving? If you’ve driven on Iowa interstates on Mondays over the past eight years, you’ve probably noticed overhead signs with messages designed to start safety conversations.
After eight years, it’s time to shake things up a little. We’re revamping the program and will now be showing these messages on Fridays in a program we’re calling “Roadside Chat.”
This is where you come in. Over the past eight years, we’ve had some public input on what messages should be shown on the overhead signs, but we’re going to work harder to pick your brain related to traffic safety.
Popular interstate message program gets new name, moves to Friday
July 1, 2021
Starting a conversation about traffic safety that leads to drivers changing their behavior behind the wheel – that’s always been the goal of the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Message Monday program. Since the inception of the program in August 2013, those thought-provoking sayings that appear on the overhead message boards on interstates and major highways every Monday were developed to help travelers understand the number of fatalities that occur on Iowa’s roads and increase the visibility of traffic safety.
The updated program, now called “Roadside Chat”, will function the same as before, but beginning Friday, July 2, the overhead message boards on the interstates and major highways will be lit from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. every Friday instead of Monday. The program displays the year-to-date roadway fatality count for Iowa, as well as a conversation-starting message related to highway safety. Corresponding social media and blog posts that give a back story to the messages will also be moved to Fridays.