The Iowa State Patrol partnered with the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office in a special initiative last week with a focus on student driving and commuter traffic. Trooper and Public Resource Officer for District 4 in Denison, Shelby McCreedy, says the five troopers and seven members of the Sheriff’s Office stopped 79 vehicles between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 8.
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McCreedy says this is in line with a specifically identified focus across the state.
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She says this is not the first time the Iowa State Patrol and the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office have received complaints about student drivers.
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McCreedy says they had just organized a similar project focusing solely on school traffic. She says they held assemblies afterwards to explain why they initiated the program and the dangers the student’s behaviors present. The feedback they got mainly consisted of questions from students about why they were back.
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During the day, the most infractions cited were speed, with 24 tickets and 48 warnings. There was a warrant arrest and a narcotic’s arrest as well as a K-9 deployment and one accident in which the driver fell asleep at the wheel and lost control on Highway 44 east of Panora. McCreedy says they want everyone to know they are serious about enforcing safe driving habits and working toward stopping the bad ones that are responsible for crashes. She adds this also illustrates the point that they are not exaggerating the risks or trying to scare anyone, but when they hear of a specific problem, they will take proactive steps before a tragedy occurs. She says people need to remember they are behind the wheel of a deadly weapon and you can not only kill yourself but other people. They need to understand the power they have behind the wheel, the good and the bad.