For the last time this summer, law enforcement agencies are ready to launch a STEP, or a Selective Traffic Enforcement Program. Iowa State Patrol spokesman Trooper Paul Gardner, from the Fort Dodge post, says the STEP will put dozens of extra law enforcement officers on the roads during the upcoming holiday weekend, and they’ll be seeking out speeders, impaired drivers and other lawbreakers.
Gardner implores Iowans who are hosting events for the holiday to make sure their guests don’t drive impaired by calling them a taxi or Uber, giving them a ride home or offering them a place to crash.
The three-months between Memorial Day and Labor Day are considered the “100 Deadliest Days” in Iowa, when there’s typically a rise in teen crashes and deaths. During that period, the patrol says Iowa often averages 30 deaths of drivers and passengers between 14 and 18 years old.
