(Undated) Mother’s Day weekend is identified this year as a higher travel period. A safety initiative is planned for this three-day weekend.
“May through October is historically the deadliest months on Iowa’s roadways, and we’re entering this high-risk period,” said Iowa State Patrol Trooper and District #4 Public Information Officer Shelby McCreedy.
Trooper McCreedy says there are sixteen more fatalities on Iowa’s roadways than at this same time as a year ago.“Our hope is the efforts for this project, and future projects will be effective in reducing serious injury or fatal crashes on our roadways.”
The Iowa State Patrol conducts multiple safety initiatives with instate and out-of-state partnerships throughout the year. This project is a multi-state effort among the Midwest NHTSA Region 7, which includes; Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas.“Some people ask why we do so many projects, and why we conduct projects with other states,” said McCreedy. “There are multiple effects and goals for these projects. The first goal is to promote traffic safety with presence. When people see law enforcement, drivers tend to play by the rules.
“The second goal is to change behaviors behind the wheel,” said Trooper McCreedy. “Studies show 90-percent of all crashes are behavior related, including young inexperienced, and overconfident older drivers and their failure to recognize them.
“The third thing is to increase awareness through information and education,” said McCreedy. “One of our slogans this year is, Knowledge is power and the power to save your life is in your hands. So, understanding what causes injuries and deaths in crashes is critical in changing these behaviors, so we do that through education and information. For example, speed and force are directly responsible for damage, injury, and death when it comes to crashes. Increased speed increases force. Studies show 10-miles per hour over the speed limit triple an individual’s chances of death in a crash.”
A press conference will be held on May 5th in Kansas City, with all states present. Iowa will have Colonel Nathan Fulk participating in the press conference.
Trooper McCreedy says County and Local Law Enforcement agencies will dedicate personnel to this safety initiative, and all data will be sent to the NHTSA for evaluation.
