Iowa Data

• During 2000-2009, over 4,600 16-24 year olds were seriously injured in Iowa traffic crashes.
• Iowa currently averages over 500 traffic-related pedestrian injuries each year.
• Over 450 bicyclists are injured annually as a result of Iowa traffic crashes.
• Drivers age 16-24 typically represent over 30% of all Iowa drinking/impaired drivers in fatal and serious injury crashes. 
• Iowa data shows that since 2001, a total of 5,129 motor vehicle crashes involved the use of cellular telephones by one or more operators.

Iowa GTSB Young Driver Fact Sheet - Feb 2010 pdf

Iowa GTSB Pedestrian/Bicycle Fact Sheet - Feb 2010 pdf

Iowa GTSB Distracted Driving Fact Sheet - Jun 2010 pdf

Research Data

Distracted Driving
Using a cell phone while driving, whether it's hand-held or hands-free, delays a driver's reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08. (source: distraction.gov stats )

Drowsy Driving
Studies show that being awake for more than 20 hours results in an impairment equal to a blood alcohol concentration of .08. (source: drowsydriving.org pdf)

Keep Moving

Today, college-aged students face enormous pressure to do well in school, find a job to make a living, keep up with social commitments, and countless other activities. As a result, traffic safety doesn't seem to be a top priority, despite how important it is. We are used to being on the go and finding ways to keep going that sometimes pushes us past our limits. We may ride when it's convenient, drive when we shouldn't, and  walk without focus.

The Drive

In Iowa we do a lot of driving. Cell phones, texting, and music are a few distractions that we face daily. With more people on the road than ever before, we as drivers must stay alert to what is going on around us. This is hard for many people as cars come equipped with dash distractions.

As college students we often feel overworked and stressed. This becomes an issue when we hit the road. To stay focused a goal could be to get at least 7 hours of rest a night to keep from driving drowsy.

Another issue college students face is knowing when they shouldn't be driving home after a night out with friends. With other transportation choices, such as a taxi, bus or designated driver, why would you risk driving drunk?

Do you remember...

Our generation has grown up with information at their fingertips. We are used to being plugged in and can't remember a time before the internet or cell phones. There is no need to memorize information, we can set up our technology to search and save it for us. This has made our generation very selective in the things we choose to remember.

We understand it is a challenge to grab the attention of our audience. We are bombarded with so many messages and told not to do so many things that most of it is tuned out. Our Drive-Ride and Walk Portfolio Exchange goal for summer 2011 is to take a different perspective that might stand out and be heard.

Surveying the masses

We have already talked to some extent about the fact that graphics are extremely important in communication, and that the process of designing graphics is more extensive than we could have ever imagined!

However, one thing I think it is important to touch on is the way that graphics speak to an audience. The graphic above, for example, was created for a workshop. It is very specific to programming, and the 'Clear and Focused' refers to making wise decisions in the face of alcohol and driving.

This graphic is an example of one that is most effective after going through the programming that the graphic was designed around. According to those surveyed, people may not necessarily understand the graphic on its own without additional information. This is so important to understand, in order again to best communicate with our audience.

Riding with a driver

Intoxicate- 1. To stupefy or excite by the action of a chemical substance such as alcohol.

This word is thrown around, but what does it mean exactly. Definition-style. As a self-proclaimed word-smith, I enjoy breaking down words into their meanings. When words get used over and over again, I think sometimes we get numbed to them.

So basically, when you get in the car with an intoxicated driver, you are in 4000 pound vehicle, moving at a speed between 25 and 65 mph, this person is literally 'stupefied'.

Something to think about? Methinks yes ...

Gold star for you!

I must congratulate you. No, really, this is not a trick.

You, my fellow Iowans, are a whopping 9 percent above the average! If you remember from throughout middle school and high school, being above the average is looked upon fondly.

Check out this safety fact sheet (pdf). If you look closely, you will see that in 2009, the national average for those who wore seatbelts was at 84 percent, whereas an average of 93 percent of Iowans take care to snap that belt. That is the highest use rate in the history of the state!

93 percent! In grade terms, this is an A-. Not too shabby guys. However, wearing your seatbelt is the number one prevention method you have, and a simple way to ensure protection. That fashion forward polyester-nylon blend strap keeps your body and head in place. We know we are above average, but is it too starry-eyed to ask for more? An A or even A+? Methinks not, I believe we can do it.

Design Dilemmas

I have way more respect now for the process that goes into design.

I'm the kind of person that either likes or dislikes something. If I want to buy a shirt, I try on 7, and immediately know which one I want.

You would think that the design process would be similar, right? Ooh, lets just pick a pretty color, slap some pretty lettering on it, and botta boom botta bang, we have ourselves the coolest shirt ever.

Close, but no cigar.

There is font, and color, and shade. There is the placing of the imprint, the imprint itself, the ulterior unintended messages that could accidentally happen, oh my!

The end result, of course, is fantastic. However, who would have guessed that six color choices for background, ink choices, paying attention to gender considerations . . .

It makes me tired just thinking about it. So, when you take this shirt after it's printed, wear it with pride. A lot went into its creation. Mwahahaha.

The miracle of a designer!

texting while driving

see past the illusion

face 2 face is the solution

The process - We have gained a designer to our group who has created the wonderful image on the back of the T-shirt. Our job was to come up with a slogan, T-shirt color, imprint color, and think about cost and shipping. After a plethora of discussions we decided on the slogan "texting and driving, see past the illusion, face 2 face is the solution." We chose this slogan because it is catchy and ties our message and image together (stop texting and driving and have that conversation face 2 face).

The next step was the color choice. We decided to choose navy because the white image really popped out. Also, navy is a fairly gender neutral color.

The next problem to tackle was cost. The price of the shirt varies and is dependent on the color, the number of shirts ordered, the number of colors on the shirt, and whether an image is on both the front and back. Production (plus shipping) usually takes 10 days.

Interview with 'The Designer'

Who are you, 'The Designer'?
I am a graphic design student. I like design because for me personally, I am a very creative person. I like all sorts of design. Even designing clever phrases, creating things in your mind. I have a lot of ideas, and I feel like design is the way that I show them. It is the way I communicate.

I think that design is universal, it is up to your own interpretation-- you don't learn it, you look at it and it means something to you. You want people to see what you see in the end. You draw them in with 'this isn't so scary, it's familiar.'

What part of the challenge of designing messages interests you?
I think with any design you want to have big ideas, but you have to simplify your ideas in order for people to understand. You have to understand your audience in order to be able to communicate with them.

What do you think you can contribute to our team?
I think I can contribute unique designs. I like to push the envelope, start off crazy and calm down.

Great, any last words for us?
Nope, that's it!

'cutting-edge' 'ultramodern' and 'state-of-the-art'

Main entry: new
Definition: recent, fresh
Synonyms: brand-new, contemporary, current, cutting-edge, different, distinct, just out, latest, modern, modernistic, modish, neoteric, newfangled, novel, now, original, recent, state-of-the-art, unique, unknown, up-to-date, youthful

So we talked about the old(ies) but goodies. How about the new? What have we come up with that is 'cutting-edge' 'ultramodern' and 'state-of-the-art'? I would like to introduce....

The pens of 2010!

Rotating messages:

AND:

see past the illusion

texting + driving = confusion

your mind doesn't need the pollution

safety is the conclusion

face 2 face is the solution

draw-portfolio-exchange.blogspot.com

Be excited guys! We are!

Oldies but goodies.

Oldies but goodies.

You know. Peace symbol earrings. Environmentalism. Leggings. Or the Beatles.

People are still singing 'All We Need is Love' and rocking purple leggings with boots for a reason.

Don't fix it if it ain't broken people. And so, at our August educational event, we are thinking of utilizing two messages of the past, incorporating ideas that are still important.

One of these ideas is drowsy driving, and the other is distracted driving. We have discussed in our portfolio exchange various distracted driving issues: texting while driving, eating, changing the music, and even drinking while driving (a fairly major distraction).

So should we use these two fabulous T-shirt designs to demonstrate what we have already discussed in our blog-- what do you think?

The old. The new. Is it apropos?

So far in this portfolio exchange, we have discussed a gamet of fascinating topics that the college students of this day and age get to deal with.

Through this process, we have narrowed the main issues we want to talk about at the August welcome event. We are marrying what has been discussed and lovingly designed in the past with the ideas we feel are relevant to discuss now and in the future. Look at these fantastic message items! More to come ...

Proposal

Sorry. I'm not about to pop the question (no matter how fabulous you must look in that Summer tan I know you're boasting).

Instead, I would like to share with you our collective proposal for our planned August event. It is our hope that some of you area colleges in Iowa might be able to use our work and portfolio exchange as a template in the future.

As part of our proposal, we are designing a 'Wheel of Illusion,' a T-shirt (hallelujuah we have a designer on the team now!), and a myriad of lovely message items! More to come... just wanted to let you know what exciting things were on the roster!

Electronic or Face-to-Face?

Have you ever tried to express what you mean through text message or chat and failed to get your point across? When communicating electronically, it is easy to misunderstand what the other person is trying to say because words have multiple meanings and can be taken different ways.

Text messaging, Instant messaging, Internet forums, chat rooms, social networking sites, email, and all forms of computer mediated communication are convenient. The question is whether or not they are the most effective ways of communicating.

As we all know, communication is what makes the world go round. Our task for this project is to determine the best ways to reach our audience. In doing so, we are trying to find the best ways to communicate as a group. The majority of our time is spent communicating face to face, however we have found Google Docs, chat, email, and blogspot to be helpful in collaborating ideas. We want to see what works and what sends effective messages to people working on the project in the future as well as the target audience.

The benefits of face to face communication are endless. For example, Nonverbal reaction cues such as eye behavior, posture, gesture, and touch can tell a lot about how a person is feeling. Face to face conversations are synchronous and more personal making it easier to identify the personality of someone you don't know as well.

All in all, communicating both electronically and face-to-face has benefited for our purpose. The electronic communication has been convenient and face-to-face has allowed us to better understand what one another is thinking. Knowing which way to communicate is important to get the message across.

Riding the wave

Beware, I am starting this post off with a biology lesson. (gasp here with either joy or horror).

Each brain cell, known as a neuron, communicates with other brain cells with electrical transmissions. We can measure the frequencies of these transmissions via an electroencephalogram (EEG). The higher the frequencies, the more activity is occurring in the brain. In most fields, there are 4 types of brain waves

Beta waves (13-38 hz)- the dominant brain wave when we are focused, actively thinking, problem solving.

Alpha waves (8-13 hz) - the dominant brain wave when we are awake and relaxed. For example, when we are reading a book or watching TV

Theta waves- (4-7 hz) - dominant wave when we are drowsy, and the early stages of sleep.

Delta waves- (below 4 hz) - dominant wave during deep sleep.

In a previous post, I mentioned the dissociative state, which is associated with the driver's phenomenon of forgetting the last miles of highway. This is related to our brain's dominant frequency waves. The brain wave that is associated with zoning out on the freeway is the theta wave. Theta waves are also associated with daydreaming, which allows for a flow of ideas, while the task at hand is mentally disengaged. Even though this is a naturally occurring state of mind, behind the wheel, it is a dangerous state.

More on brain waves

The ______ State of Mind

You're in 11 o' clock lecture, already your third class of the day. You begin to listen to your instructor, but then you see the person in front of you updating their Facebook, or you're thinking about how you'd rather be playing Frisbee right now. 50 minutes of "daydreaming" and perhaps a failed pop quiz later, and you're left wondering, "What was I thinking about the last hour? "

Maybe you had a similar feeling on a road trip. You have been driving for a few hours, your mind starts thinking about things that are stressing you out, a song that you want replayed on the radio. You become unaware of your surroundings, and perhaps you miss your exit or fail to notice a stop sign. Again, you're left to wonder the same thing, "What was I thinking?"

This daydreaming state is known as the dissociated state. Dissociation is known as "a state in which the integrated functioning of a person's identity, consciousness, memory and awareness of surroundings, is disrupted or eliminated. "This state allows the mind to compartmentalize and separate certain memories in the brain. But how does one stay focused and avoid this dissociated state?

- Eat a good meal before driving- having a higher blood sugar keeps one alert.

- Stop at a rest stop, get out of the car, and have an exercise break. Stretch and walk around a little.

- Recognize symptoms that you are drowsy or daydreaming, such as yawning, eye strain, and random thoughts.

source

Now What?

What is a Communication Studies major to do upon graduation? Because communication happens in all human interactions, there are many career options. Major courses in the Communication Studies program consist of Theory, Gender, Nonverbal, Organizational, Computer-Mediated, Intercultural, Business, Research, and Interpersonal Communication. Examples of careers in Communication Studies include Human Resource Management, Training, Public Relations, Event Planning, Sales, and international and intercultural relations. The challenge is determining how and where to fit in.

Previously, we discussed the lack of empathy in college students. The courses in Communication Studies help students develop an empathetic perspective toward their surroundings and life in general. They are able to "walk in other's shoes" which allows them to have a better understanding of the people they come in contact with. The electives that a Communication Studies major chooses help to determine the direction of their career. They help to spark interests and gain a worldly perspective.

What can you learn from yoga? Flexibility....

I was a little bit crazy. I was that kid that wrote 20 page book reports every three weeks (10 pt. font, single spaced)... in seventh grade.

I won't go into specifics, but I basically ended up with three minors, two majors, and an honor's concentration (which entails two separate emphasis's), and a premed concentration. In four years, thank you very much.

Why, oh why, would you ever do this?

First of all, I could. I meticulously planned my courses so that I could get the maximum cross-over.

Second of all, I was very reluctant to give up options. I enjoyed everything so much, that I had such a hard time 'picking' a life.

Interestingly, the education that most affected my life-choices were unplanned. The random human rights course I decided to take (which ended up being part of my main major); studying abroad; volunteering in the hospital; taking a unique job I ended up loving. Planning out your education has its benefits, but you have the potential to be surprised by allowing yourself the flexibility to let the unexpected affect you.

Take risk! (Safe, educational type risk, of course.) You never know what will end up shaping you.

Why do I need this?

Three credits of U.S. diversity, three credits of International Diversity, 12 credits of Arts and Humanities and nine credits of Social Studies. That adds up to 27 non-major credits. That is close to two semesters of tuition for general courses that an average student may flush out of their brain after the course is over. Why is this necessary?

Some will say it is to become that Renaissance man (or woman) and obtain a well-rounded education. This is partially true; learning about another culture or subject can broaden one's viewpoint. Others will say it is so the student can explore and allow them to see if they want to do something else. This may be valid as the average student changes majors two to three times.

But a third option may be needed for those who want to learn a basic skill or talent instead of learning about the importance of the cotton gin. Students should have the ability to switch out a history or psychology course for a course emphasizing real-life knowledge, like basic computer repair or how to interview for a job. This way if a person has a computer meltdown before a presentation, or has a big interview with a Fortune 500 company, that student will have a skill that allows them to advance themselves.

General education classes play a role in a student's education, but a choice between learning a skill or learning about Washington crossing the Delaware could be beneficial.

To the future ... and beyond!

One of the things we are emphasizing is discussing our courses and past jobs in relation to our future careers. The message items we are distributing for the August educational event will lead back to this blog. I would like us to talk about our ideas and thoughts on how our own education will be relevant to our careers. What has been effective this far? What is positive, and what could use tweaking? We will each give our own ideas on what has been useful this far in propelling us forward in life.

SLEEP DEPRIVED!

Photo Credit: Driving Tips

Let's face it, everyone gets tired. Unfortunately, there is no test to determine the level of drowsiness. For most, being tired does not stop us from doing our daily and necessary tasks. For instance, it's not generally acceptable to call into work because you're tired.

There are many reasons and excuses that we give for lacking sleep. Minus medical conditions, it all goes back to prioritizing our lives. 35% of Americans get less than six hours of sleep on weekdays according to a recent poll on the National Sleep Foundation website. Whether it be college, career, family, or everyday activities that limit our sleep, prioritizing our daily lives can be difficult. For example, we are forced to focus on multiple timely tasks such as being a full time student and having a part time job, staying up late to study for a mid-term and finishing a ten page paper. You can only imagine how the morning 30 minute commute would be difficult to stay awake for. We must decide what is most important and consider time as a factor.

The National Sleep Foundation suggests the following precautions before you hit the road:

1. Get adequate sleep- most adults need 7-9 hours to maintain proper alertness during the day.

2. Schedule proper breaks- about every 100 miles or every 2 hours during long trips.

3. Arrange for a travel companion- someone to talk with and share the driving.

4. Avoid alcohol and sedating medications- check your labels or ask your doctor.

Riddle me this...

What is not necessarily illegal, yet still very dangerous?

I'll give you a clue. It starts with a 'd' and ends with 'rowsy driving'.

Oh, folks, you are too smart!

This is a tricky topic, because there is not a cut and dry moral or legal ruling behind drowsy driving. Moreover-- how do you measure it? With alcohol there is a BAC: a very objective way of demonstrating how much has been consumed.

However, in some ways, the relevancy and relatability of drowsy driving expands beyond alcohol consumption. Those engineering kids that nerd out in the library (ahem, not that I have done that... multiple times) on a Saturday night may not be at risk for driving drunk. However, going home after studying until 3 am in that warm car is dangerous as well. After all, if you are asleep, your driving reflexes are going to be pretty much ... non-existent.

The sting of culpability in deaths due to driving while sleepy may not be as profound as the stigma of drunk driving, but unfortunately the consequences are the same. So this fourth, as you are heading home after fireworks, please take every precaution and offer every sanctuary to your sleepy friends and family.