Archives: December 2023
Personnel updates for Dec. 8 to Dec. 21, 2023
December 29, 2023
Information supplied by the Business Systems Bureau
Roadside Chat - Old acquaintances don't forget to plan a sober ride
December 29, 2023
It’s the time of year for making plans. Whether you’re planning a social gathering, a family holiday celebration, or another festive occasion, the best hosts are the ones who plan to keep their guests safe.
Plan ahead if you are hosting or attending an event where you may be drinking. It’s easier than ever to find a sober ride.
Roadside Chat - What drives you? The person under the mistletoe
December 22, 2023
What’s your motivation to get where you’re going? Whether you have someone waiting for you, a job to do, or an errand to run, there’s always a reason to drive safely.
And it’s not just you. When you drive safely, you’re helping to make sure the others sharing the road are safer, too.
Fluttering down the road
December 19, 2023
A bridge is simply a way to get you over an obstacle. But can it become more than a way to get you from point A to point B?
At the Iowa DOT, our bridge designers are ratcheting up the appearance and messages you’ll see on seven bridges being rebuilt along with the expansion of Interstate 35 from Ankeny to Ames.
Roadside Chat - Santa sees you on our phone. You serious, Clark?
December 15, 2023
Do you drive differently when someone is watching?
In Iowa, you can legally use your phone to talk and navigate your travels while driving. But just because it’s legal doesn’t make it safe. If you have kids in the car with you, it’s likely they are paying attention to what you’re doing and will mimic your behaviors when they are driving. What kind of example do you want to set for them?
Personnel updates for Nov. 27 to Dec. 7, 2023
December 14, 2023
Information supplied by the Business Systems Bureau
Whipping winter into shape: how better snowplow lighting can improve safety
December 13, 2023
Picture this. You’re driving down a rural two-lane road in the dark. It’s snowing. You can make out headlights coming at you in a snow cloud. As the oncoming vehicle gets closer, you see that it’s a snowplow. You can also now make out lights that seem to hover over the front of the snowplow blade near the centerline. This light lets you know just where the plow blade is and alerts you to move over as you safely move by the plow.
A little healthy competition to get ready for winter
December 12, 2023
To be able to help keep Iowa roads safer, our Iowa DOT crews need to make sure we are well-trained and keep our trucks in top shape.
Drew Zane, who is in charge of safety training for our crews in the southeast part of the state, came up with a fun way to make sure our field forces are focused on pre-trip inspections. With the help of district mechanic Jacob Brotherson, Zane’s idea to have employees compete in a pre-trip inspection competition takes very little resources and could have a big impact on safety.
Potential first responders learning to be safer on the road in Sioux City
December 11, 2023
Safety is at the core of all we do. But we can’t do it all. At the Iowa DOT, we are part of a larger community of first responders. For all of us to be safer when responding to a crash or other incident on the road, we all need to work from the same playbook. The Federal Highway Administration designed a standardized training program for all roadway first responders including firefighters, emergency medical personnel, law enforcement, and towing companies. All Iowa DOT field forces go through this training and our Traffic Operations Bureau has a hand in training other responders statewide.
Roadside Chat - Full of holiday spirits? Find a sober ride
December 8, 2023
This is the time of year when you may be celebrating for many reasons. That also means it can also be a dangerous time to be on the roads as drivers get behind the wheel after drinking. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much to make a drive dangerous. Even one drink can impact the way you drive.
December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. According to national data, nearly a third of deadly car crashes in America involve alcohol, and some 26 million people drove under the influence in 2020, endangering themselves, passengers, passersby, and the first responders who work to keep our roads safe.