One of the year’s longest traffic enforcement initiatives is getting underway this Friday. The Iowa Department of Public Safety and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau are collaborating with law enforcement agencies to “Put the Brakes on Impaired Driving.” As the unofficial end of summer, many people celebrate the Labor Day weekend with barbecues and road trips, but this is one of the deadliest times of the year in terms of impaired-driving fatalities. According to data from 2019, during the period between Aug. 31 and Sept. 3, there were 451 traffic fatalities nationwide. Forty-five of those involved drivers who had been drinking, and more than one-third had drivers over the legal limit. Six of those fatal accidents took place in Iowa in a three-day span. Three of the six involved a drunk driver. In their ongoing efforts to keep people safe on the roadways and to put an end to impaired driving, extra law enforcement will be taking to local and state blacktops and highways in support of the 2021 Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign from Aug. 20 through Sept. 6. They are also urging drivers to remember it is never okay to drink or do drugs and drive. Even if you plan on having only one drink, designate a sober driver or use public transportation, cabs, Uber or like services. Keep friends and family members safe and take the keys of anyone you see impaired who plans to drive. If you see an impaired driver, contact local law enforcement.
