(Ames, IA) -- There's a change coming to those message boards drivers see on Iowa interstates. The Department of Transportation will update those messages every Friday instead Mondays. The idea is to get messages out right before weekend, when more crashes tend to happen. The DOT says Fridays are typically the second-highest fatal crash day of the week, behind Saturday. Sunday and Monday are tied for the third. A new message will appear tomorrow.
The program began in August 2013, sharing messages meant to encourage safe travel, as well as traffic fatality counts.
The DOT's calling the program “Roadside Chat”, also features social media and blog posts.
“We believe timing the change in the program ahead of the Independence Day holiday is an important move as the summer months are some of our deadliest on Iowa’s roadways,” states Steve Gent, director of the Iowa DOT’s Bureau of Traffic and Safety. “The program is meant to drive awareness of the number of fatalities that occur on Iowa’s roadways and help start conversations around the impact we all can have by changing our driving behavior.”
The DOT's also encouraging Iowans to submit suggestions for the highway message boards.
“We believe that working with the public to create messages gets them more engaged in thinking and talking with others about how to increase safety on our roads, which is really the ultimate goal of this program. There’s also a sense of pride to be able to point to a message that runs on a Friday and tell your friends and family that you were the one that came up with that," said Gent.
Ideas can be submitted via the Roadside Chat website.
The DOT says if your message is selected, you will be contacted and you will be acknowledged by using your first name, last initial, and city when the message is promoted.