Iowa traffic fatalities still high as seat belt campaign starts

CEDAR RAPIDS — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s annual Click It or Ticket campaign — to call attention to the requirement for seat belts — started this week in advance of the Memorial Day weekend as traffic fatalities in Iowa remain higher than in previous years.

As of Wednesday, there have been 122 traffic-related deaths in the state so far in 2023. The average number of deaths for this point in the year during the last five years was 100, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s daily traffic fatality count.

Of the 122 people killed so far this year, 52 weren’t wearing a seat belt. There were 43 fatalities where the individual was wearing a seat belt, eight that are unknown and 19 where a seat belt was inapplicable, like with a pedestrian or motorcyclist death.

“No matter the type of vehicle you’re traveling in, where you’re seated, or what type of road you’re driving on, the best way to protect yourself in a crash is to buckle up,” Brett Tjepkes, chief of the Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, said in a statement.

“Unfortunately, many families are suffering because their loved ones do not follow this simple step. If this enforcement alerts people to the dangers of unrestrained driving, we’ll consider the mission a success.”

The national campaign started Tuesday and will run through June 4. The campaign involves television and online ads encouraging people to wear seat belts as well as increased patrols as the summer driving season starts.

According to Iowa State Patrol Trooper Bob Conrad, there will be extra traffic enforcement projects — like using planes to watch for speeding — over the holiday weekend and throughout the campaign. There also will be extra patrol officers working overtime who are specifically watching for things like seat belt use and speeding.

The fine in Iowa is $70 for failing to buckle yourself, and $135 for failing to buckle a child correctly, according to Iowa Code.

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