ALWAYS Stay Alert When You’re Driving In Bismarck/Mandan

Anything can come at you in North Dakota

Imagine driving down the road on an early morning, it's quiet out, almost TOO quiet, You're on old Hwy 10, west of Mandan. You have lived in North Dakota long enough to be aware of your surroundings when you are operating a vehicle. Images of pictures race through your mind of cars and people banged up after hitting a deer, that literally comes out of nowhere. Traffic is definitely extra light, the weather is clear, road conditions excellent. You're all good, right?

I'm pretty sure that's not a bowling ball

Here is a perfect example of WHY you should not drive and text at the same time. Unfortunately, so many people have lost their lives taking that one to two-second glance down at your phone while reading or typing a message. That's all it takes to lose control of your car, a slight swerve onto oncoming traffic. Imagine not paying attention and coming across THIS in the middle of the road.

"Hey honey, get out there and give that little rock a shove"

This is what a North Dakota Trooper responded to a couple of days ago, a large boulder right smack dab in the middle of one of the lanes. One could only think of the damage this round object could have inflicted. No explanation on how that huge rock got there, the only thought in the trooper's mind was to get it off the road, and it would take a herculean effort to do so by himself. The heroes of the day Knife River Corporation came out and took care of the monstrous pebble. The message of the day of course: Always be alert when driving.