(Area) Iowa State Patrol Trooper and District #4 Public Information Officer Shelby McCreedy says the Iowa State Patrol leads Iowa’s statewide Traffic Fatality Reduction Task Force to reduce deaths on Iowa roadways.
Trooper McCreedy says as part of that effort, the Iowa State Patrol will be conducting a unique enforcement initiative geared toward reducing distracted driving on Oct. 2-4. According to the past ten years of crash data, this period is one of the deadliest in the state.
Trooper McCreedy says there are three types of distractions when behind the wheel. She says drivers who use hand-held devices while driving are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves or others.
Troopers McCreedy says distractions lead to a multitude of different hazards for motorists.
The Iowa State Patrol will be joining law enforcement agencies across Iowa to reduce distracted driving and help everyone arrive home safely.
Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that is like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.
Nationally, in 2015, 551 non-occupants (pedestrians, bicyclists, and others) were killed in distraction-affected crashes.
Young inexperienced drivers under 20 years old have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes. Their lack of driving experience can contribute to critical misjudgments if they become distracted.
Not surprisingly, young drivers text more than any other age group, and the number of those who text is only increasing. It’s a trend that poses a growing danger.
Authorities say parents need to set a good example for their children and show them from an early age that it is just not safe to text and talk on their phones while driving.
The eventual goal for fatalities in Iowa is ZERO, but the incremental goal for 2021 is under 300, down from 338 in 2020. If achieved, this will be the first time Iowa traffic fatalities have been under 300 lives since 1925.
