IDOT's Scoreboard Of Death

I appreciate the electronic signs that the Iowa Department Of Transportation puts up on the highways of Iowa.  They warn me of upcoming traffic delays, bad weather, and, at their best, alert me to a person who had disappeared so I can keep an eye out for them.

But there is one way that the DOT is utilizing the signs of which I do not approve.

I commute 50 miles to work each day, passing the same signs.  These signs remind me to "buckle up."  I do.  These signs then tell me how many people have died on Iowa roads this year.

And it's a running tally.   I'll notice on one day that a certain number of people have died.  Then the next day, I'll notice more people have died.   On my morning commute, it's as if the signs are saying, "Good morning, Jeff.  BTW, two more people died horribly since you were here yesterday."

I get the reason.  But it's too morbid.  It's a running scoreboard of death.  There's got to be a better way to urge people to be careful.