Iowa State Patrol and Local Law Enforcement Agencies To Conduct Special Enforcement Thursday, September 16
Sept. 14, 2021
DES MOINES, Iowa – The Iowa State Patrol is leading Iowa’s statewide Traffic Fatality Reduction Task Force in an effort to reduce deaths on Iowa roadways. As part of that effort the Patrol will be conducting a special enforcement initiative geared toward reduction of speeding drivers on Thursday, September 16. This time period is one of the most deadly in the state according to the past 10 years of crash data.
Since the start of the pandemic, Iowa has seen a significant increase in drivers greatly exceeding the speed limit, putting everyone on the road in danger. Recent data released from the Iowa State Patrol, tracking speeding violations from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2020, shows a 74 percent increase in drivers exceeding the speed limit by 25 mph or more.
Even more alarming are patterns in the data identifying that a total of 1,497 drivers were cited for speeds that exceeded 100 mph. Violations for these flagrant speeds increased 108 percent compared to the four-year average.
Troopers routinely clocked speeds as high as 121 to 155 mph on roads throughout Iowa.
The eventual goal for fatalities in Iowa is ZERO, but the incremental goal for 2021 is under 300, down from 338 in 2020. If achieved, this will be the first time Iowa traffic fatalities were under 300 lives since 1925. As of today, there have been 235 deaths on Iowa’s roadways – that’s 10 more fatalities than this date last year.
ABOUT THE IOWA TRAFFIC FATALITY REDUCTION TASK FORCE
Iowa’s multi-discipline Traffic Fatality Reduction Task Force was created in 2021 to implement educational, enforcement and legislative initiatives to help Iowa achieve the target of less than 300 traffic fatalities annually, with the ultimate goal of zero fatalities. Enforcement is one key element to reduce fatalities. The task force is led by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, the Iowa Department of Transportation and the Iowa State Patrol. For more information on the task force and its work, contact Alex Dinkla, Iowa State Patrol at 515-443-6644 or dinkla@dps.state.ia.us
ABOUT THE IOWA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
The Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS) is the largest law enforcement agency in the state. It includes six divisions and several bureaus, all working together with local, state and federal government agencies and the private sector, to keep Iowa a safe place by following our core values: leadership, integrity, professionalism, courtesy, service and protection. Divisions within the Iowa DPS: Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa State Patrol, Iowa State Fire Marshal Division, Iowa Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center, and Administrative Services Division. The Department of Public Safety is led by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Governor.