(Denison) While the official Iowa traffic fatality count will not be official until the end of the month, one thing is for sure: the Iowa State Patrol’s goal of under 300 traffic fatalities has been met. In 2025, Iowa recorded a historic low of 260 traffic fatalities, the lowest number since the State began tracking crash deaths in 1925.
Iowa State Patrol Trooper and District #4 Public Information Officer Shelby McCreedy says from February on, they were well below the five-year average, and the lowest yearly total in 100 years. In 1925, 261 people died on Iowa’s roadways. If the 260 holds, it would be the weakest on record. She notes McCreedy says the recorded year for traffic fatalities across Iowa was in 1970, when 912 people died onIowa’ss roadways. In that year, there were 1.8 million vehicles registered in the State, and 1.6 million drivers. Compared to 2025, there are 3.8 million registered vehicles, and 2,4 million drivers.
Trooper McCreedy of the Iowa State Patrol has not identified anything specific about why the traffic fatality count is at a record low.
Trooper McCreedy says the “Hands Free” law has made an impact, and vehicles are safer today, all of which played a factor in lowering the number of traffic fatalities on Iowa’s Roadways in 2025.
