It seems like local law enforcement agencies had just completed the last Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau Special Traffic Enforcement Program (sTEP) that ran for two weeks around the Memorial Day Holiday. Now they are gearing up for a busy Fourth of July weekend with another initiative that will start on Saturday, July 1 and run through July 4. The Carroll, Manning and Jefferson Police Departments as well as the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office will join other agencies across the region and the country in placing additional officers on roadways during the holiday. The focus of this sTEP wave, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over, is on educating about the dangers of drinking and driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that over the Fourth of July in 2015, 146 people were killed in crashes in which one driver recorded a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of .08 or higher. Ninety-two people died in crashes where the drivers BAC was nearly two times the legal limit at .15 or higher. In Iowa during that time period there were five deaths, and there were four alcohol-related fatalities in 2016. Officers remind everyone that it is never okay to drink and operate any motorized vehicle. There are always options, and in this day and age, there is no excuse for endangering yourselves or others.
