Statewide Iowa — The Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau is partnering with law enforcement agencies across Iowa in an effort to reduce impaired driving.
A “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign is underway through September 4th to remove drunk or drugged drivers from the roads. In fact, it’s been going since August 18th.
They’re reminding us that impaired drivers can get home safely by designating a sober driver or call a taxi/rideshare. If available, they say use your community’s sober ride program. The Iowa Department of Public Safety urges citizens to contact local law enforcement if they see a drunk driver on the road.
There were 40 traffic fatalities during the final weeks of summer in Iowa last year. 30 percent of those fatalities were alcohol/drug related.
Trooper Kevin Krull says there are way too many fatalities on the roads.
He says crashes are especially sad when they are preventable.
So, he says decide first to have a designated driver or to stay over, or to get a ride — before you are impaired.
He says the latest available figures are that 37 people per day in the US lose their lives to a drunk driver.
Krull tells us troopers and other law enforcement officers are out in force through Labor Day, with a special focus on removing impaired drivers and distracted drivers from the roads.
The Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau works with city, county, state, and local organizations to develop and implement strategies to reduce deaths and injuries on Iowa’s roadways through federally-funded grants.
