Transportation Matters for Iowa | Iowa DOT: Message Monday

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Message Monday - The time is always right to do what is right

January 20, 2020

Each generation wants to change the world for the better. As we remember Martin Luther King Jr. today, his push for change came from the perspective of racial equality. King and all those who came before and after have made a significant difference in the way people treat each other. Is there 100 percent equality yet? No, but that doesn’t mean we should stop trying.

In a similar way, some people question the reasoning behind a “Zero Fatalities” goal for Iowa highways. Granted, this goal isn’t on a scale with racial equality, but it is a goal that some people feel will never be achieved. One thing is sure, if we don’t do all we can to reduce crashes, we’ll never get to Zero.

Message Monday - Take a break, drive awake

January 13, 2020

The holidays are over and life is moving ahead into another Iowa winter. The gray, cold days of January and February can tend to make you sleepy, especially if you’re an early riser who doesn’t see the sunlight each morning.

Getting up early and driving to work in the dark can cause us to be sleepier all day long. Sunlight triggers our bodies to stop producing the hormone melatonin, which makes us sleepy at night. When we don’t catch that sunlight in the morning, we can miss out on the trigger to cue your body to shift into daytime mode.

Message Monday - This is a sign that you shouldn't drive high

January 6, 2020

Most of us have heard the mantra “don’t drink and drive” over and over as we’ve grown up. While drunk driving remains high on every safety professional’s list of serious concerns, another issue on the rise is impaired driving caused by drugs, especially as the number of states who have legalized marijuana grows and attitudes towards that particular drug loosen.

Whether you’re taking illegal drugs, have a prescription, or are just trying to treat a cold with over-the-counter medicines, if you feel different, you drive different.

Message Monday - Drinking & Driving impairs your 2020 vision

December 30, 2019

‘Tis the season to be jolly…

If your merriment includes alcohol, please be smart about how you’re going to get from one party to the next or home at the end of the night. Since a couple of drinks have a way of changing the way you view your abilities, making a plan BEFORE the festivities begin is always the best option.

Message Monday - Happy Festivus! Slow it down for the rest of us

December 23, 2019

Do you find tinsel distracting? Do you enjoy proving yourself through feats of strengths? Maybe Festivus, the holiday bestowed upon the world by the 90’s comedy Seinfeld, is for you.

Many people would like to air their grievances about the speed at which others on the road around them are moving. With weather concerns and holiday parties, the combinations of tricky road conditions and impaired thinking are made so much worse when you add speed to the mix.

Message Monday - The rise of distracted driving is disturbing

December 16, 2019

Driver distraction has been an issue since the first vehicle tires hit the road. Whether the distraction was eating or drinking behind the wheel, dealing with a child in the backseat, holding a conversation with a passenger, or simply getting lost in thought, distractions are not new.

What has changed in the past decade is the increase in driver distraction caused by handheld devices. That mini-computer many can’t seem to put down opens up a world of communication and information at our fingertips but has also contributed to the rise in distracted driving crashes and fatalities.

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