170 Iowa traffic deaths and counting in 2016
Forty-two more people have died on Iowa roads this year than at the same time in 2015, according to data released Monday by the Iowa Department of Transportation.
Seven people were killed in motor vehicle accidents over the weekend, bringing the total number of traffic deaths to 170 people, the DOT reports. That's up 30 deaths from the five-year average of 140.
State officials credit a mix of high speeds and impaired or distracted driving for contributing to the higher number of fatalities. In about half of the deaths, the victim was not wearing a seat belt, according to the data.
"A big trend we've seen is really, really, high speeds," said Sgt. Nathan Ludwig of the Iowa State Patrol. "There have been a lot of single-vehicle accidents with … people going really fast."
The news comes ahead of the summer's busiest weekend for travel. Fueled by the lowest gas prices in more than a decade, AAA estimates more than 43 million Americans will travel this Fourth of July weekend, about a half a million more than in 2015.
"Eighty-four percent of holiday travelers — more than 36 million people — will drive to their Independence Day destinations, an increase of 1.2 percent over last year," according to an AAA news release.
Dennis Kleen, driver data manager for the Iowa DOT, said he has noted more single-vehicle accidents in which the vehicle left the roadway prior to crashing.
"That tells us the driver is either distracted, impaired or drowsy," he said.
May was the worst month so far this year, with 39 deaths. Twenty-five people died from injuries sustained on the road in May 2015.
Iowa traffic deaths have been lower for three years since reaching 365 fatalities in 2012. The state averaged 320 road deaths per year from 2013 to 2015. If it maintains this current pace, Iowa would see 340 roadway deaths by the end of 2016.
"Our message in these warmer months would be to slow down, wear your seat belt and, above all, avoid texting and driving," Ludwig said.
The Des Moines Register reported last week that Iowa’s drunken drivers are more intoxicated and killing more people — yet fewer of them are losing their licenses.
In 2012, drunken and drug-impaired drivers were responsible for the deaths of 114 people in Iowa, DOT data shows. By 2015, that death toll had risen to 123 people.
In March, Des Moines police officers Carlos Puente-Morales, 34, and Susan Farrell, 30, and the prisoner they were transporting from Council Bluffs were killed by a drunk driver going the wrong way on Interstate Highway 80 in Waukee.
“We are hoping that (the accident) serves as a wake-up call,” said Patrick Hoye, bureau chief of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau. “The current culture has to change. We’re losing too many lives on Iowa highways to impairment.”
In 2014, Gov. Terry Branstad launched an advertising campaign called "Zero Fatalities" aimed at reducing the number of fatalities on Iowa highways. The DOT posts weekly messages along the interstate encouraging drivers to pay attention to the road.
Sgt. Ludwig said drivers might be more likely to slow down if there were more state troopers on the road. The State Patrol has lost about 100 positions through attrition and retirement.
"I really think it has a direct correlation," he said. "If your'e driving and there's no one on the road you're not going to slow down if you don't see them."