Le Mars, Iowa — A northwest Iowa county is one of five counties in the state being targeted by the Iowa Governor’s Safety Traffic Bureau to try and cut an increase in traffic accidents from last year.
Plymouth County is one of the five counties that are part of the project known as the “High Five Rural Traffic Safety Program.” Iowa State Patrol trooper, John Farley, says for Plymouth County making the list was based on the total number of accidents — not just accidents resulting in a death.
Farley says for Plymouth County and the others on the “High Five” list, they will do some additional patrolling of the county’s roads and highways.
Farley says they will focus on driver’s ed programs and give educational talks to civic organizations. Farley says in addition to watching for impaired drivers, the “High Five” program will look for distracted driving, primarily those drivers that are texting while driving, and drivers who are speeding.
In addition to Plymouth County, Carroll, Marshall, and Benton counties are the five across the state that have been selected for the “High Five” program.
The Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau says 72 percent of the fatal crashes in Iowa in 2015 occurred on secondary rural roads. Rural roads make up approximately 79 percent of the total roadways in the state.
