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.

Message Monday - Use right lane at night to avoid wrong way drivers

June 28, 2021

You’re on the interstate. You know that traffic in the two lanes on your side of the highway should be going in the same direction. What would you do if you see headlights coming at you?

Nationwide, statistics show that the majority, approximately 60 percent, of wrong-way drivers are impaired. Of the remaining 40 percent, half of those have been shown to be elderly and the other half are simply confused.

Message Monday - Save your bacon, buckle your ham

June 21, 2021

Today’s vehicles are equipped with a myriad of safety features that, when you are securely buckled into your seat, significantly reduce your risk of serious injury or death, in a crash.

In a severe crash, airbags may deploy. Airbags reduce the chance that your upper body or head will strike the vehicle's interior during a crash. To avoid an airbag-related injury, make sure you are properly seated and remember—airbags are designed to work with seat belts, not replace them.

Message Monday - will your driving change this number?

June 14, 2021

The status quo isn’t good enough. Our family members and friends continue to die on Iowa’s roadways at an alarming rate. In fact, 300 or more people have died on Iowa’s roads each year since 1925! No one should have to suffer through losing a family member, friend, or someone they know as a result of a traffic-related crash. We all have the power in our hands to change our driving behavior and work together to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on Iowa’s highways.

Message Monday - It's summer. Come on over. Driver sober.

June 7, 2021

The days are getting longer and temperatures are heating up. It’s the perfect time to hang in the backyard or on the patio or porch with friends and family.

Whether you have a planned event and invited guests to your space or if an impromptu party just pops up, if drinking or other substances that can impair are involved, make sure your friends and family make it home safely after the festivities are over.

Message Monday - Party check list: lawn games, bbq, designated driver

May 31, 2021

If you’re planning to get together with friends and family this Memorial Day, make sure to add designating a sober driver to your party check list.

If you’re serving alcohol at your get-together, take the initiative to make sure all of your guests are safe. Whether that means a sober driver to take someone home, offering your guest room or couch to a friend who has been drinking, or calling a rideshare service to get your friends and family safely home, the power is in your hands to have a great party everyone will remember for the right reasons.

Message Monday - Look kids, another distracted driver

May 24, 2021

It’s an all-too-common sight these days. You don’t have to look too far and the chances are you’ll see distracted drivers in the cars around you.

What kind of behavior are your kids seeing when they are in the car with you? Research from SafeKids Worldwide (https://www.safekids.org/research-report/reducing-risks-teen-drivers) shows that parents who demonstrated good behaviors impacted the driving habits of their teen drivers.

Message Monday- Pregnant? Seat belt is safe for mom and baby

May 17, 2021

When you’re expecting a baby, there’s no shortage of things to worry about. Buckling up behind the wheel shouldn’t be one of those worries.

Buckling up through all stages of pregnancy is the single most effective action you can take to protect yourself and your unborn child in a crash. Your shoulder belt should be away from your neck (but not off your shoulder) and across your chest. Be sure to remove any slack from your seat belt. Never place the belt under your arm or behind your back.

Message Monday - Big mistake...huge... using a horn instead of a brake

May 10, 2021

We get it. So many of us have been cooped up over the winter and now that we can get out, we want to get where we’re going quickly. Others on the road may not be in as big a hurry as you. That doesn’t mean you have to drive so aggressively that you put yourself and others at risk.

How do you know if you’re driving aggressively?  Here are some of the dangerous driving behaviors.

Message Monday - Buckle up. This is the way.

May 3, 2021

Buckle up. Experience, research, and thousands of saved lives show that by simply clicking that belt, you’re significantly less likely to die in a serious crash than if you were unbuckled.

And if you don’t buckle up to save your own life, think about those in the vehicle with you. Unbuckled people act as projectiles in a crash, often causing serious injuries or killing others in the vehicle who are buckled.