Today is Labor Day, which means increased law enforcement remains on the roadways.

Iowa State Patrol District 4 Resource Officer Shelby McCreedy says the state patrol, along with local law enforcement will be watching for impaired drivers as part of their Crash Awareness and Reduction Effort (CARE) Initiative. She points out they will specifically look for excessive speed, not wearing a seat belt and other distractions.

“There are a lot of lane departures when it comes to distraction. There is variance in speed, I mean if you’ve ever followed somebody that their speed is all over the place, they’re going 20, they’re going 70, they’re going 50, they’re going 30. That is an indicator of distractions as well. So obviously, any type of (driving) behavior that is not consistent or appears to be off that’s definitely something that’s going to catch our attention.”   

McCreedy says it’s up to the discretion of law enforcement personnel that stops someone for breaking or violating a law whether or not to issue a warning or a citation, she hopes it serves as a reminder to improve safety awareness while on the road. The four day initiative ends today.