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June 9, 2021Des Moines, Iowa |  By: AP

Iowa to step up traffic enforcement to slow road fatalities


DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Iowa traffic enforcement officials are vowing to crack down on motorists speeding, driving while drunk or distracted by cell phones in an effort to slow the rising traffic fatality rate.

Iowa State Patrol Col. Nathan Fulk says Tuesday that officers have reported some of the most dangerous driving behaviors in the 85-year history of the patrol in recent months.

He says excessive speed and impaired driving skyrocketed last year, pushing traffic fatalities higher than the previous year even as the pandemic reduced road traffic volume by 12%. 

Law enforcement will have an increased presence on Iowa roads June 9-12. The goal is to get traffic fatalities below 300 this year, something that hasn't occurred in Iowa since 1925.