Many of you don’t realize it, but Highway 169, especially between Humboldt and Fort Dodge, has been named among Iowa’s Ten Worst Problem Roadways by the Iowa DOT. This is the same stretch of road which a large part of ICCC students travel every day. Through Iowa, Highway 169 is pretty much a straight shot, making drivers not pay as much attention to the road as they probably should. A large part of it is only two lanes, including parts going through rolling hills large enough to easily hide two or three cars at once. Even in the four-lane-traffic-controlled areas, there can be some pretty nasty accidents and a multitude of minor ones.
There have been dozens of accidents at the intersection of Wildcat Road (13th St. SW) and Highway 169 in Humboldt, but one recent example I can give you I witnessed only the second day of class. After rounding the corner by Mix94.5, I stopped behind the traffic in the turning lane to the college. The light was green, but traffic was progressing slowly. A small car started to turn, but the driver suddenly slammed on her brakes. The lady in the car had thought an on-coming truck might not stop at the lights and didn’t want to be side-swiped. She stopped so suddenly that the truck behind her only had a split-second to react, but hit his brakes too late and rear-ended her at a slow speed. There was no damage to the truck and only minor damage to the car. That particular accident would be considered a minor one, but there have been some major ones in the same area. Before the intersections were changed on the turn just northwest of the college, it was home to a bad blind spot which caused some very serious accidents.
In the past few years, Highway 169 has been improved and has the potential of being improved even further. There has been talk for the past ten years that the stretch between Humboldt and Fort Dodge should be widened into a four-lane highway, if not a four-lane divided highway. The Iowa Department of Transportation has this section listed as a part of Iowa’s Commercial and Industrial Highway Network, making this improvement potentially possible.
In the meantime, Highway 169 will stay as it is right now, but there are still ways we can protect ourselves from becoming a statistic on any roadway. Pay attention; the last time you probably heard this was in Driver’s Ed.
1. Control your speed. If you’re part of a group of cars, go the same speed as the others. A slower moving vehicle can be just as dangerous as a faster one.
2. Never tail another vehicle so closely that you can’t see the road ahead of them. If you do, you’re trusting the driver in front of you with your life.
3. Pay attention to road conditions. Rain, snow and wind will change how you drive your vehicle, and your reaction time can be greatly impaired.
4. Get a headset for your cell phone or don’t use it at all while you’re driving. No law in Iowa has been passed saying you can’t talk on the phone while driving, but it is a distraction. Especially for vehicles with manual transmission.
5. I cannot stress this enough. Wear your seatbelt at all times. It keeps you in your seat and away from the airbags. Without the protection of the seatbelt, airbags can be deadly. For cars that don’t have airbags, that dash or steering wheel can be very painful. In a serious enough crash, a seatbelt or airbag might break a few ribs, but the dash could kill you.
6. Make sure your car is in working order. Brakes, transmission, seatbelts and airbags are stress points, but loose bolts on the seats can be dangerous, too. Don’t just “let it go” if something breaks.
7. Don’t let your gas level get below a quarter of a tank. The gasoline adds weight to your vehicle and the more your vehicle weighs, the less the wind can push it around, especially during the winter months.
8. Just because there are no posted speed limits on gravel roads doesn’t mean there isn’t a limit. It’s 55 MPH unless posted otherwise. Loose gravel can make your car fishtail, and the intersections are almost always uncontrolled. If you don’t see a car, look for dust in the air.
9. Keep an emergency kit in your trunk or behind the seats if you own a truck. This should include bandages, antiseptic, a flashlight, a blanket, a candle (works best in an old coffee can), matches, and possibly road flares. A battery powered radio could be a good idea, too.
