Dear I.D.O.T.: Please Stop Distracting Us

I don't know how long it's been since the Iowa Department of Transportation put up electronic message signs on I-380 in and around Cedar Rapids, but I think their usage is out of control. I beg the powers that be to stop using them the way they have been.

When the I.D.O.T. first put up the electronic signs, it seemed their usage was sporadic and timely. "Accident ahead, get to the left," for instance or information on an impending storm. That I can understand, but it began to change.

Soon, the number of people that have died on Iowa roadways so far this year was put up. Why do we need to know that? Is that supposed to make me slow down? Then, came the ever-changing messages, and in my opinion, trying to be cute. This morning's read something like, "Driving and surfing the web on your phone is dumb use of a smartphone." Really? I think we know that. And the time it took me to glance up and read that is more than enough time for me to run into the back of the vehicle in front of me if they were to stop suddenly.

Dear Iowa Department of Transportation:

Please use the electronic message signs on Iowa interstates only when the information on them is beneficial to drivers. There's no reason to provide yet another distraction to a roadway filled with them. Besides, electricity doesn't come free. The money you save can be put toward other uses for the state, including road repairs. No, that's not an argument against the 10-cent raise in gas taxes yesterday. I'm on board with that decision.

Sincerely,

A Concerned Iowa Driver in Cedar Rapids