A Special Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) gets underway this week, in advance of St. Patrick’s Day. The Iowa State Patrol is joining Iowa’s statewide Traffic Fatality Task Force, in an effort to reduce deaths on Iowa roadways. As part of the effort, Troopers in District 3 (Council Bluffs) will be checking for seat belt compliance and reducing the number of impaired drivers on the road, as the St. Patrick’s Day holiday time frame is typically one of the most deadly in the state, according to the most recent 10-year crash data.

St. Patrick’s Day can be unlucky for those drivers who don’t plan ahead. If you chose to celebrate, designate a SOBER driver, and always wear your seat belt.

Some data on this upcoming holiday:

• In Iowa, March 17th is typically one of the biggest drinking nights of the year, and one of the deadliest on the roadways.
• In 2019, there were two crashes in Iowa that killed a total of four people. Drunk/impaired driving accounts for nearly one-third of vehicle related fatalities in the state and in the U-S.
• Nationally, in 2018 alone, 73 people (or, 39% of all crash fatalities) were killed in drunk-driving crashes over the St. Patrick’s Day holiday period, and 33% of the motorists 16 and older killed in the crashes, had a blood alcohol concentration over the legal limit.

The eventual goal for fatalities in Iowa is ZERO, but the goal for 2021 is under 300, down from 338 in 2020. If achieved, authorities say it would be the first time Iowa traffic deaths were under 300 lives, since 1925.