Photo: Iowa DOT
(Undated) -- The weekly message on digital signboards along interstates in Iowa, has a tribute to the Hawkeye Women's basketball team, along with the traffic safety message "Buckle Up Baby."
The message is also a nod to long time, college basketball announcer Dick Vitale, who is known for excitedly using the word "baby" during his announcing.
The Iowa Women play defending champs South Carolina tonight in Dallas, in the N-C-Double-A Final Four. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. The last time the Iowa Women made it to the Final Four was in 1993, when they were coached by C. Vivian Stringer. This is Coach Lisa Bluder's first appearance in the final four.
There's a somber side to today's message too. The sign includes the fatal crash total. So far this year, 68 people have been killed in crashes on Iowa roads. That’s an increase of five since last Friday. In Iowa in 2022, there were 338 traffic-related deaths.