Archives: August 2021
Roadside Chat - Eyes up - phone down, school buses are around
August 27, 2021
Many of Iowa’s school districts began the 2021-22 academic year this week. With the start of school, it’s time to brush up on the rules of the road related to when it is legal to pass a stopped school bus.
Here are the general guidelines.
Personnel updates for August 6 to August 19, 2021
August 26, 2021
Information supplied by the Bureau of Budget and Business Systems
New changing station options in Iowa rest areas are a game changer for families
August 25, 2021
Kristin Haar and her family want to have the freedom to travel from place to place like any other family. However, Kristin’s daughter Bronwyn has multiple disabilities due to FOXG1 Syndrome. These disabilities can make the most basic of tasks, like using a restroom in a public place, extremely difficult. “Our family has to carefully plan each outing or trip based on where we might be able to change Bronwyn,” explains Haar. “You don’t realize how life-limiting it can be to not have a place to take care of your loved one’s restroom needs.”
While many restrooms have accommodations for those in a wheelchair, the designs assume that the person using the facilities can take care of themselves. Many persons with disabilities need the assistance of someone else and extra support to fully attend to their sanitary needs.
Roadside Chat - Blue Ribbon Drivers move over for roadway workers
August 20, 2021
For decades, receiving a blue ribbon in competition has symbolized quality and excellence at fairs and other contests around the world. But did you know the term was originally a transportation award?
Reports have the “Blue Riband” as a prize awarded for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by passenger liners. Today drivers don’t receive accolades for speed. But we should be dubbing those that take care to move over or slow down when they see flashing lights ahead “Blue Ribbon” drivers.
McClanahan named Examiner of the Year
August 18, 2021
You could say 2020 was a year of challenges. Like many other businesses, we had to shift the way we do business to safely and effectively serve our customers. One of those changes was moving our driver’s license service centers from a walk-in model to an appointment model. The unique challenges of the year helped shine a spotlight on our need to move along a path of continuous improvement and maintaining our focus on the safety of our customers and service center professionals.
Roadside Chat - Buckle Up Butter Cow
August 13, 2021
The Iowa State Fair is in full swing and Iowa’s highways are buzzing with traffic headed to Des Moines to see the famed Butter Cow or other last-minute trips before school starts.
One of the easiest and most effective safety measures you can take is to buckle your seat belt and make sure everyone in your vehicle is also appropriately bucked. Whether that’s the right size car seat for your toddler or making sure your teen isn’t tucking the shoulder belt behind his or her back, keeping everyone safe should be first on your “do list” as a driver.
Personnel updates for July 23 to Aug. 5, 2021
August 12, 2021
Information supplied by the Bureau of Budget and Business Systems
Roadside Chat - Things that click: friends, ideas & seat belts
August 6, 2021
When you “click” with something or someone, that thought or person makes sense and you feel connected. Like when you meet a new person and instantly feel like you’ve known each other for years. Or a new way to solve a problem might simply come to you out of the blue. These “click” moments may not happen often, but they can be pretty profound.
Saving lives is about a profound as it gets. One of the easiest things you can do to help save your life is click your seat belt. As an unbelted driver, you are very likely to be thrown around inside the vehicle if you hit something or something hits you, causing you to lose control. You can imagine what that might look like on a busy road with a large truck headed your way. Even losing control when you are alone on a gravel road can have a devastating impact. And as you are thrown around the vehicle your body can become a projectile causing serious, or even fatal injuries, to those riding with you.
August 2021 Service awards
August 2, 2021
Information provided by the Budget and Business Systems Bureau