Statewide Iowa — The Iowa Department of Transportation is shifting the way it delivers those pithy safety reminders to motorists on the 80-some overhead message boards on Iowa’s interstates and highways.
The Monday Messages program is now called Roadside Chats and the new slogans will appear on Fridays instead of Mondays. DOT spokeswoman Andrea Henry explains the motivation for the move.
The messages have to be brief as there’s only three lines available on the message boards, with 18 characters per line. Sometimes, they’re very upfront about buckling up or avoiding distractions, but other messages may be mash-ups of movie quotes, song lyrics and other pop culture references. The goal all along, Henry says, is to start conversations about traffic safety.
Iowans who would like to see their own traffic safety-oriented ideas up in lights can contribute their three-line messages to the DOT online.
There are four primary categories about changing our driving behaviors which the messages should zero in on: Slow Down, Drive Sober, Focus On The Road and Buckle Up. ZeroFatalitiesIowa.com
