Northwest Iowa — Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer and we celebrate with barbecues and road trips. But it’s also one of the most deadly days out on the highways, so law enforcement is out in force.
You read that correctly — is — present tense. The Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau has several special Traffic Enforcement Projects or “sTEPs” every year. But the one surrounding Labor Day is the longest this year. Most of them are for about two weeks. The Labor Day one is almost two and a half weeks. It started already on August 19th and goes through Labor Day.
AAA indicates the 100 deadliest days of driving occur from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that forty-six percent of traffic fatalities involve alcohol. The Iowa Department of Transportation reports seven fatalities occurred over the 2021 Labor Day holiday period.
The Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau is working with several law enforcement agencies in northwest Iowa to put extra officers on the road to increase patrol. During the sTEP campaign, there’s also a nationwide Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Campaign from today through Labor Day. Officers tell us the goal is to reduce the number of alcohol-related collisions and fatalities in the state.
Officers remind you to drive sober, buckle up, watch your speed and put down your phone every time you drive.
