The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) is honoring the memory of Matt Dickerson, a DOT employee killed last year in a work zone on Interstate 80 near Council Bluffs, as part of National Work Zone Awareness Week. Dickerson, a husband and father who worked at the Neola Garage, was struck and killed by a motorist on May 16, 2024. He is one of 19 Iowa DOT employees who have died in work zones since 1953. The agency reminds drivers to “Respect the Zone–So We All Go Home,” emphasizing safe driving behaviors to protect workers and motorists. Over the past five years, Iowa has seen 3,294 work zone crashes resulting in 35 deaths, nearly all of them motorists or passengers. Drivers are urged to plan ahead using Iowa 511, slow down in work zones, avoid distractions, and pay attention to the road. As of Friday, April 25, Iowa has recorded 68 traffic fatalities so far this year, even with last year’s figures at this point but still 13 percent over the state’s five-year low.
