Tips for Driving safely on icy roads

1. Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
2. Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.
3. Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.
4. Keep your lights and windshield clean.
5. Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.
6. Don’t use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.
7. Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and infrequently traveled roads, which will freeze first. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might encounter ice in shady areas or on exposed roadways like bridges.
8. Don’t pass snow plows and sanding trucks. The drivers have limited visibility, and you’re likely to find the road in front of them worse than the road behind.
9. Don’t assume your vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel and front-wheel drive vehicles can encounter trouble on winter roads.

If you get stuck…

1. Do not spin your wheels. This will only dig you in deeper.
2. Turn your wheels from side to side a few times to push snow out of the way.
3. Use a light touch on the gas, to ease your car out.
4. Use a shovel to clear snow away from the wheels and the underside of the car.
5. Pour sand, kitty litter, gravel or salt in the path of the wheels, to help get traction.
6. Try rocking the vehicle. Shift from forward to reverse, and back again. Each time you’re in gear, give a light touch on the gas until the vehicle gets going.

What to carry on winter trips:

• Keep a basic winter survival kit in your vehicle: flashlight, batteries, embroidered blanket, snacks, water, gloves, boots, first-aid kit.
• Load your car with winter travel gear: tire chains, ice scraper/snowbrush, jumper cables, road flares.

Seat Belts

• An estimated 9,500 lives are saved every year by wearing seat belts in the US.
• Three out of four people who are ejected from a vehicle during a crash will die as a result Only 1% of restrained passengers where ejected from car seats during a car crash.
• Any person under age 18 must be buckled up while driving or as a passenger in a motor vehicle.
• The fine for not using a seat belt is at least $127.50
• Your chances of surviving a crash are up to 70% better if you are wearing a seat belt.
• Motor vehicle crashes is the leading cause of death for every age group from 4 through 33 years old.
• Did you know that every hour someone dies in America simply because they did not take two seconds to buckle up.
• Iowa’s seat belt usage rate is 93.1%

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Texting and Driving

 Here are some statistics why texting and driving is so dangerous:

• When a driver texts while driving, his reaction time will decrease by 35%
•  When texting, steering capability goes down by a tremendous amount….91%.
• A driver is twenty three times more likely to get into a car accident while driving and texting.
• Drivers are also six times as likely to get into a car accident while dialing a number into their cellular devices.

 The fine for texting and driving is only $30 but a 35% surcharge and court fees likely will send the total cost above $100. However no points are charged against the offender’s drivers license. A person who was texting and is involved in a crash that results in serious injury or a death is subject to an additional fine of $1,000 and having their license suspended for 180 days.

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Drinking and Driving

Don’t do it!!!!

drunk driving safety clothes

13,516 arrested in Iowa for drunk driving / DUI in 2008

In 2008 118 people were killed in Iowa in accidents where at least one driver was under the influence of alcohol. 22% of fatal accidents involved drunk drivers.

 Iowa First Offense OWI Penalties •

Jail time of 2 days to 1 year • $1,250 in fines plus a 35% surcharge or up to 200 hours of community service • Drivers license revocation for 180 days to 1 year • Alcohol assessment and treatment

 Iowa Second Offense OWI Penalties •

7 days to 2 years in jail or imprisonment • Up to $5,000 in fines plus a 35% surcharge • Drivers license revocation for 1 to 2 years • Alcohol assessment and treatment

 Iowa Third Offense OWI Penalties •

Third offense owi in Iowa is considered a class D Felony offense • 30 days in jail or up to 5 years imprisonment • Up to $7,500 in fines plus a 35% surcharge • Drivers license revocation for 6 years • Alcohol assessment and treatment

 Think about the three F’s and how drinking and driving effects each one.

Family/Friends

 Finances

Future

 Getting Home Safely: Plan ahead and stick to your plan. Take a Cab/Bus, Have a designated driver, Walk, Call a friend or family member and ask for help.

http://www.safety-work-clothes.com/

On the news this morning I heard the traffic guy mention that it was getting to be the end of construction season and most road projects should be wrapping up over the next couple of weeks.  I know one of the sayings in Iowa is we have 2 seasons:  Construction season and winter.  Does that mean we are about to enter Winter season?  I love winter.  All of the lawn care experts have been converted to snow experts.  Right now they are up on roofs putting up people’s Christmas lights.  Hope they are all being safe.  Next they will be out in their plows pushing the snow away so we can all safely travel to and from work.  Safety is very important during the winter so be sure and continue to wear your safety work clothes.

Update:  1-24-2012  With the weather we have been having this year there hasn’t been a true end of construction season yet.  November seemed normal to me, some nice days, some cool days.  December however was I think they said the 3rd warmest.  Construction crews have continued their work and I have seen mesh safety vests on many workers where I should have seen nothing but snow.  Custom t-shirts can still be worn.  January has been more normal, but started off warm.  Finally here towards the end of January we are seeing snow.  Not I cant wait for the warmer weather so I can get my screen printed t-shirt back out.

custom printed t-shirts

I am sure you are thinking well of course my desk is safe, what’s it going to do, fall over and topple on me?  Get up and chase me?  No, not that kids of safety, more along the lines of ergonomic safety.  I had a massage over the weekend and the first thing the massage therapist said to me was that my keyboard was too high and my monitor was probably too low.  So I get to work the next day and check things out and she was right.  Problem is there isn’t much I can do about it.  Don’t you hate it when you are in a safety sitution you can’t do anything about?  I can’t raise my chair cause them my legs hit the bottom of my desk, and I can’t lower my desk.  At least when it comes to other safety issues I can do something about that.  I can wear bright colored clothes while working outside.  I can wear reflective stripes at dusk or dawn when I am outside so I can bee seen.  When you are in a situation where you can make things safer, do it.  You will be glad you did.

Safety orange pumpkin t-shirts

October is a great month to multitask your safety orange shirts.  Take an old black t-shirts, sketch out a scary jack-o-lantern face, cut it out.  Take the face pieces and pin or glue them to the safety orange tee and voila – instant pumpkin.  And I get paid at work to do stuff like this.  I will be waiting for Halloween and will be ready to go scope out construction sites looking for men and women in safety orange shirts with jack-o-lantern faces.

Safety clothes

Living in Iowa you never know what weather you will get.  Last week we had a high in the 90′s one day, and a low in the 40′s a couple of days later.  That is a huge temp swing.  If working outside, you need to have a range of safety work clothes for the week.  You need a cool safety mesh vest to cover your custom t-shirt on the hot days.  You will need a safety green colored sweatshirt for those cold mornings.  Bright gloves and stocking caps might also be a necessity on those cold days.  This week we are back to warmer weather with temps in the mid to upper 70′s.  Great week for working outside in your safety clothes.

custom safety clothes

mesh safety vests yellow

When you think Safety, what do you think about?  I think of orange traffic cones and street construction.  I think of the men and women who have to work outside in all weather conditions, working by moving cars and distracted drivers.  I think of the bright yellow safety mesh vests often worn by construction workers.  If you are a construction worker or in another field where safety clothes are part of your wardrobe, we can help.  We can custom print on many safety work clothes including some mesh vests, t-shirts, and jackets.  Have your phone number printed great big on the shirts to get more business or have your company logo screen printed or embroidered for a more professional look.

Tailgating safety clothes

College Football starts in 4 days.  There will be masses of people setting up early for tailgating, hanging out with friends then watching their coveted teams play on the grid iron.  Along with the masses of fans, there will be masses of event day safety staff on hand.  Everything from paramedics and police officers, to parking attendents and ticket takers.  Many of the safety staff will be wearing bright colored mesh vests over their custom printed t-shirts.  The bright vests make the employees easy to see and let the fans know who is in charge.  If you are going out this weekend to tailgate and celebrate your favorite team, do it safely and listen and follow all safety signs and personnel.