Now that we are in the month of June, more vehicles will be on the roadways and increased fatalities may happen.

Iowa State Patrol District 4 Resource Officer Trooper Shelby McCreedy reminds motorists that the number one contributing factor to traffic-related fatalities is speed, which she notes has been trending upwards. 

“Obeying the speed limit, for a lot of people, seems nearly impossible because everybody’s in a hurry, everybody needs to get where they are going, and people have just been conditioned to drive faster than the speed limit.”

Trooper McCreedy states that June through August is the deadliest time of year for traffic-related fatalities, due to more vehicles on the roadway, weather allowing people to travel more. The Iowa Department of Transportation reports that there are a little over 20 fatalities less compared to last year at this time. McCreedy hopes the reduced number of fatalities continues.

“So we’re very happy that we’re going into the summer months at a much lower number than we were a year ago. If we can keep the trend going through the summer months, which yes is about what we do, it’s about enforcement, it’s about trying to change people’s dangerous driving behaviors. The reality is, it’s about the decision-making that you as a motorist make.”     

McCreedy encourages everyone to make smart choices to keep all motorists safe on the roads this summer.