‘Edgy’ messages spicing up Iowa interstates

DES MOINES - Signs along the interstates in Iowa have gotten a little spicier, but it's all in the name of saving lives, officials with the Iowa Department of Transportation say.

Iowa's roughly 80 permanent digital message boards, such as the one near Wilson Avenue on Interstate 380, display Monday messages that may make you chuckle or feel called out or wonder, 'Did they just say that?”

And, that's just the point, said Andrea Henry, director of strategic communications for the Iowa DOT.

'If it gets people talking and paying attention to the message, then we've done our jobs,” Henry said. 'It's important to get drivers thinking about their behavior and how it affects others.”

Each message has a different theme, such as drunken driving, texting and driving, wearing seat belts, speeding and others.

'Tailgating is for football, not the highway,” one message stated.

Another states, 'Not buckled? Seriously??”

And another, 'Put your phone down and drive.”

Or, 'Does your blinker not work, or what?”

The messages are coupled with the year-to-date Iowa traffic deaths. The latest figure is 234 fatalities in Iowa.

The message that's gotten the most feedback is, 'Get your head out of your apps. Drive safely,” said Willy Sorenson, a traffic and safety engineer with the Iowa DOT.

That was submitted nearly verbatim from the public, he said.

'Drive on right. Pass on left,” has been the message most requested for a repeat.

'We were given the direction of find that limit,” he said, noting the DOT has rejected some ideas. 'We hope it makes a difference. If that little saying catches in their mind and they do something different, we have been successful.”

Henry said there aren't metrics to show if the signs are having an impact, but the fact that people are responding show the messages are getting noticed.

'We've gotten a little more edgy on the message because we find those are the ones people pay attention to,” Henry said.

Sorenson said that 94 percent of the feedback has been positive, although some have complained about the messages. Still, if people stop and talk about the message later, that is a good thing, Henry said.

Henry added that the signs don't use vulgar or offensive language, but some may make readers assign a different meanings.

New messages are posted each week, and the messages are posted only on Mondays.

It is part of a Message Monday campaign. The campaign is part of the Zero Fatalities campaign, which aims to reduce traffic deaths.

Henry said the messages only appear once a week because studies show that people tune out when you present a message too often.

The messages are a mix of traditional slogan from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, ideas from the Henry's strategic communications group and submissions from the public.

Henry said people can offer ideas through the DOT's Twitter or Facebook page.

As for Monday's sign, Henry said she knows what it is but, motorists will have to be paying attention to the road to find out.

'You'll just have to wait and see,” she said.

Get involved on the web

Iowa DOT's Traffic fatality blog: ia.zerofatalities.com/index.php

Find the Iowa DOT on Twitter: @iowadot and Facebook: facebook.com/iowadot