Iowa Department of Public Safety
Eugene T. Meyer, Commissioner
215 East 7th Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
Telephone Number: (515) 725-6182
Facsimile Number: (515) 725-6195

Colonel Patrick J. Hoye, Chief

IOWA STATE PATROL LAUNCHES SPECIAL ENFORCEMENT EFFORT DURING THE MONTH OF JUNE

Des Moines, IOWA --- Statistics indicate the month of June is one of the deadlier months for traffic fatalities in Iowa, and that a larger number of these fatal accidents occur on Saturday nights.  Therefore, the Iowa State Patrol will launch a special enforcement effort during the month of June dubbed “Safe Saturdays.”

Each Saturday during June, the Patrol will activate entire Districts to work between the hours of 5:30 p.m. and 2:00 a.m., increasing their normal staffing levels by 38 percent to 49 percent.  Troopers will focus their efforts on excessive speed, seat belt usage, and impaired drivers.  All uniformed members of the patrol, regardless of rank, will participate in these “Safe Saturday” projects.

District Commanders have been reviewing available data to determine areas within their respective districts where there are increased speed infractions, impaired drivers and incidence of motor vehicle crashes.  On each “Safe Saturday,” Troopers will use saturation patrols to work the identified areas and address these concerns.

The following factors were considered in planning and implementing each “Safe Saturday” project:

• Excessive speed remains a critical factor in many serious injury and fatal collisions.
• In 2008, although 93 percent of drivers and passengers on Iowa roadways were using seatbelts, 139 (43 percent) of those motorists suffering fatal injuries were not using their seat belt at the time of their collision.
• In 2008, 79 persons were killed in crashes involving drunk or drinking drivers.  Sixty-five percent of those deaths occurred between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m.
• Per mile driven, an Iowa citizen is at least three times more likely to be killed when driving at night.

“When you look critically at the data, it’s obvious that there’s a need for more night time enforcement.  That’s where our high risk drivers are,” commented Iowa State Patrol Colonel Patrick J. Hoye.  “We intend to fill that need for more night time enforcement.  The Iowa State Patrol will do everything we can to prevent death on Iowa roadways.”

Click here to see when a “Safe Saturday” project will be held in your area!

For additional information regarding specific “Safe Saturday” projects, to schedule an interview or ride along, or to obtain local data on roadways of concern for the patrol, please contact the appropriate State Patrol District Commander found at the link below:

http://www.dps.state.ia.us/ISP/districts/districtmap.shtml

To enroll in the DPS E-mail Notification system simply log on to https://dpsemailnotify.iowa.gov and follow the instructions to enroll as a new user.