To prevent death and injury, the Newton Police Department is asking the motoring public to buckle up, slow down and drive sober during the Independence Day holiday.
According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, there were six traffic fatalities during the four-day Fourth of July weekend last year, three of which were alcohol related. This year, July 1-7, more than 250 city, county and state law enforcement agencies across Iowa will participate in a special Traffic Enforcement Program (sTEP) in an effort to keep everyone safe as they travel.
“Too many people still take the attitude that it will never happen to me,” sTEP Coordinator Randy Hunefeld said. “But fatal crashes can and do happen every day. We’ve made a lot of progress, but there are still too many people in Iowa dying because they are unbuckled, speeding, and driving intoxicated or impaired.”
The sTEP projects are funded by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau through a program with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This funding enables more officers to work more hours on roadways all across the state during times of the year when travel increases and traffic crashes, injury and death are most probable.
“Iowa law enforcement officers need your help and are asking every motorist that gets behind the wheel to buckle up and drive responsibly,” Hunefeld said. “Let’s make this Fourth of July holiday a safe one.
For more information, visit www.iowagtsb.org or www.stopimpaireddriving.org.