The safe driving campaign, Drive Safe Iowa: The Power Is In Your Hands, was recently shared by the Iowa State Patrol and Iowa DOT. The campaign educates drivers on to use safe driving habits to reduce roadway deaths and preventable injuries. In addition, the campaign focuses on the four most dangerous driving behaviors – speeding, impaired and distracted driving, and not buckling up. 

Iowa Traffic Trends:

  • The number of drivers receiving citations for traveling more than 25 mph over the speed limit was 1434 in 2020 and 1326 already in 2021.
  •  In 2020, nearly 36% of fatalities tested positive for either alcohol or drugs. Deaths from impaired driving in 2020 were up 9% from 2019.
  • In 2019, distracted driving was a contributing factor in nearly 1,100 crashes.
  • Of the 338 people killed in Iowa crashes in 2020, 39% were not wearing a seatbelt.

Sieda Behavioral Health and Treatment Services Prevention Specialists urge citizens to adopt safe driving practices.  Driving while impaired from substances puts yourself and others at risk. The Prevention Department shares risk information with Driver’s Ed classes across ten counties, reaching about 350 students this year.

Data from  Iowa Department of Public Safety,  https://dps.iowa.gov