In an effort to ensure Iowa’s road are as safe as possible for motorists during the week leading up to Thanksgiving, law enforcement agencies across the State will be participating in another special Traffic Enforcement Program (sTEP). Officers with local police departments, deputy sheriffs, state troopers and DOT officers, will be encouraging everyone to buckle-up, and be watching out for impaired drivers. They’ll also be looking closely for other moving violations. It all takes place November 19th through the 25th.

Although 92% of Iowa motorists are using safety belts during the daytime hours, there is plenty of those who aren’t especially in the rural communities.   Patrick Hoye, Bureau Chief of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau continues to stress the importance of buckling up during the daytime hours and especially at night. Hoye says “Seat belts save lives and that is the bottom line.”  As of November 1^st with over 37% of this year’s 299 fatalities having been determined not to have been wearing seat belts, the answer he says is clear, that buckling up increases your odds in surviving a major crash.

During the last August-September sTEP wave, Iowa officers confronted 2,358 seat belt violations, 847 impaired drivers, 13,443 speeding violations, and a total of over 34,335 contacts with traffic violators.  Vehicle assistance was given to 1,980 motorists and 419 arrest warrants were served.  The next sTEP wave is scheduled for March 14-17, 2013.