Heightened Enforcement over the Labor Day Holiday
Oskaloosa Police Department Squad
Des Moines, IOWA— As part of the National Drunk Driving Campaign, “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” Iowa law enforcement officers including the Oskaloosa Police Department will beef up their commitment to saving lives on Iowa’s streets and highways. This initiative is part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) effort to save lives by focusing on drunk/drugged drivers. Together with law enforcement agencies across the nation, Iowa will have more than 250 city, county and state law enforcement agencies participating in this heightened enforcement event beginning August 25th and running through September 7th, 2014.
“Driving drunk or drugged is a life threatening undertaking not only for those who do it but for all of those who use Iowa’s roadways,” says Patrick Hoye, Bureau Chief of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau. One of the deadliest and most often committed, yet preventable of crimes, drunk driving, has become a serious safety epidemic in our country.
Hoye further advises that, “Through high visibility enforcement, officers will remain vigilant, not only addressing drunken driving issues, but all traffic violations. Our number one goal is to save lives.” Last year in Iowa, there were 317 citizens who died in motor vehicle crashes and 75 of those were attributed to drivers impaired by alcohol or other drugs.
According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, there were 4 fatalities during the 3-day Labor Day Holiday last year, one of which was alcohol related. Crash data has shown in the past five years, the months of August and September are the most deadliest months of the year.
