(Des Moines) The Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB) is partnering with law enforcement across Iowa to support the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Click It or Ticket high-visibility enforcement effort. This seatbelt-focused enforcement campaign will run from May 18-31, 2026.
Iowa State Patrol Trooper and District #4 Information Officer Shelby McCreedy says Memorial Weekend is the official kick-off to summer. She says, as anticipated, there will be an increase in traffic.
McCreedy says one main focus is to avoid distractions, which includes putting the phone down and never driving while tired or impaired. She also emphasizes planning ahead, such as avoiding heavy-traffic times.
Trooper McCreedy noted that during the Memorial Day Holiday in 2025, there were three fatalities in Iowa, and all three were alcohol-related.
According to the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, seatbelts remain the single best defense against serious injury, and while most Iowans take safety seriously, even one unbuckled fatality is too many. In 2025, 121 people who died in Iowa traffic crashes were not wearing a seatbelt. These unrestrained occupants accounted for 47% of all 2025 traffic fatalities, a tragic number that is entirely preventable.
GTSB works with city, county, state, and local organizations to develop and implement strategies to reduce deaths and injuries on Iowa roads through federally funded grants.
