10 fatalities in a week on Iowa roadways highlight safety needs

Ten deaths and six injuries in seven days are “somewhat” of an aberration, Iowa highway safety officials say, but highlight the need for more safety equipment, more troopers on the highway and for drivers to practice safety basics.

Spokespersons for the Department of Public Safety and Transportation don't know all of the factors that contributed to a crash on I-80 near Colfax Saturday that killed six and injured two, Sunday's crash near Grinnell that injured four - including three from the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City area - or the Aug. 9 head-on crash on Interstate 29 in western Iowa that killed four motorcyclists.

“But we know for a fact that wearing a seatbelt, that not texting and driving, and not speeding save lives,” Public Safety spokeswoman Courtney Greene said Monday (Aug. 16). “So wear your seatbelts. Don't drink and drive. If you feel tired, pull off and get some rest.”

“Take frequent breaks. Keep fresh eyes behind the wheel,” added Scott Falb, a driver safety specialist with the DOT.

The deaths raise this year's traffic death count to 213, Greene said. In 2009, the state recorded a record low 233 fatalities.

In both I-80 crashes, fatalities might have been prevented if cable barriers had been installed in the median, said Capt. Curt Henderson, who oversees field operations for the Iowa State Patrol. The DOT has been installing the cables, which halt the forward progress of a vehicle as it crosses the median and absorb the impact of the collision, at a cost of about $120,000 per mile. The DOT considers them 90 percent effective in reducing fatalities from cross-median crashes.

There's no substitute for troopers on the interstates, Henderson added.

“When troopers are highly visible it keeps everyone a little more alert,” Henderson said.

However, due to budget challenges the number of troopers on the road has decreased, Henderson said. In the past, the ISP used federal funds to pay overtime to increase troopers' hours. Now, he said, those funds are used to prevent layoffs.

Although speed has not been identified as a cause in accidents this weekend, Falb's data shows fatalities rise along with the speed limits. Fatalities on rural Iowa interstates:

Although speed has not been identified as a cause in accidents this weekend, Falb's data shows fatalities rise along with the speed limits. Fatalities on rural Iowa interstates:

• jumped from 23 in 2004 to 47 in 2005 when the speed limit increased from 65 to 70 on rural interstate highways and to 49 in 2008. Rural interstate fatalities fell to 29 in 2009.
• fell from four-year average of 43 a year to 28 when the speed limit was lowered from 75 mph to 55 mph in 1974.
• increased from a four-year average of 17 per year to 31 after the speed limit was raised to 65 mph in 1987.
• increased to four-year average of 37 a year after Iowa lawmakers approved the 70 mph speed limit in 2005.

There also are more vehicles on interstates, Falb said, and although the number of miles driven in Iowa has fallen slightly from its peak in 2004, it remains high.

“That means there is greater opportunity for driver error to lead to crashes,” he said.