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Category: Traffic Incident Management

  • What happens once you call 911 for a traffic incident?

    • What happens once you call 911 for a traffic incident?

    September 29, 2021

    AdobeStock_422912910You’re on the interstate, just enjoying the Iowa scenery when - all of a sudden - someone quickly merges from a ramp and clips the back of your vehicle. Your car spins and hits the cable barrier. Luckily you didn’t hit anyone else and you’re OK but pretty shaken. You grab your cell phone and call 911. What happens next?

    “Every 911 call comes into one of Iowa’s 113 ‘public safety answering points,” said Ted Shipley of the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Operations Division. “Typically, that would be a communication center for the Iowa State Patrol, county sheriff’s office, or other law enforcement. The answering point dispatches resources within their area of responsibility such as emergency medical services, fire, police, or the traffic management center.”

  • Roadside Chat - Blue Ribbon Drivers move over for roadway workers

    • Roadside Chat - Blue Ribbon Drivers move over for roadway workers

    August 20, 2021

    8-20 Blue Ribbon driversFor 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.

  • Iowa DOT and first responders partnering with industry to gain better understanding of livestock-related crashes

    • Iowa DOT and first responders partnering with industry to gain better understanding of livestock-related crashes

    June 24, 2021

    Truck-livestock-250It’s not unusual to travel down an Iowa interstate alongside a semi loaded with livestock or poultry. Easy access to world-class transportation and an abundance of corn and soybeans grown here make Iowa ideally suited for raising these animals. What we don’t often see, but can be a real issue, is the aftermath when one of these livestock trucks crashes, tying up a busy highway for hours, delaying your trip and increasing the risk of secondary crashes in the area.

  • Traveling in Iowa? 511 has made some updates to help you through construction season and beyond

    • Traveling in Iowa? 511 has made some updates to help you through construction season and beyond

    May 13, 2021

    Digest headerWhether you’re a master travel planner or just learning to navigate Iowa’s winter and construction travel seasons, Iowa’s hub for traveler information, www.511ia.org or the Iowa 511 app, is one tool to help you find the most reliable, up-to-date, traffic-related information in the state.

  • Iowa DOT addresses imminent road dangers with light and sound

    • Iowa DOT addresses imminent road dangers with light and sound

    May 13, 2021

    Edge rutting operationThis time of year, our Iowa Department of Transportation maintenance crews turn their focus from plowing snow to making roadway repairs like patching potholes and painting. These activities often take our people out of their trucks onto the roadway, dangerously close to speeding traffic.

    The sound and vibration of cars and trucks whizzing by you at 70+ miles per hour is something we learn to live with as we get the job done, but the fear of being hit by an inattentive or speeding driver is real and it takes a toll.

Iowa highway in the evening