With today being Memorial Day, law enforcement in Iowa will be cracking down on seatbelt safety in an effort to protect motorists.

Iowa State Patrol Sergeant Alex Dinkla says the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is known as the “100 Deadliest Days of Summer,” seeing the most vehicle crashes in that stretch. He explains the state patrol is enforcing the “Click It, Don’t Risk It” campaign alongside the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau to stress the importance of fastening seatbelts before heading out to your destination. Dinkla outlines that the state of Iowa passed the Hands Free Bill that will take effect on July 1st, and shares that solely focusing on the road is pivotal.

“Get that phone out of your hand. Send that text at a safe location. Start that navigation before you start that trip, not during your trip. We need to make sure that we are properly educating everybody and everybody’s getting aware of those new laws because the legislature deemed this as a real issue that is causing and leading to many crashes around our state that are unavoidable.”

Dinkla reports that in 2024, 44 percent of Iowa’s fatalities were because people didn’t buckle their seatbelts, including 67 percent of people that were killed in the backseat due to not being properly strapped in. Additionally, for people that will be drinking alcohol, Dinkla emphasizes they should have a designated driver or ride share available to take them home.