Law enforcement gears up for busy travel weekend

Just in time for this week's Thanksgiving holiday, the balmy November weather that last week had Eastern Iowans enjoying temperatures in the upper 70s has vanished.

In its place are forecast highs in the 40s, lows in the 30s, and even first-of-the-season 'wintry mix” potential on Tuesday and Wednesday. Rain - and even some snow - could dust the region early Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Accumulation is not expected.

On Wednesday, Accuweather.com projects 'poor” travel conditions for Eastern Iowa, much of Illinois and several northern states, such as Wisconsin and Michigan.

The AAA reports Nov. 23 through Nov. 27 as the busiest travel period of the year. Some 48.7 million Americans expected to head 50 miles or more from home this year, representing a one million-person increase over last year.

More than 89 percent of this holiday travelers are expected to drive, while 3.69 million are expected to fly, according to AAA.

And with storms threatening other parts of the country as well - and with the long weekend's general surge in activity - flights also could see delays.

Because of the heavy road travel, the Iowa Department of Public Safety is ramping up law enforcement patrols, with officers specifically on the lookout for seat-belt violations.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration during the 2014 Thanksgiving holiday recorded 341 vehicle-related deaths nationwide. Half of those killed were not wearing seat belts, according to the Iowa Department of Public Safety.

Five people died in Iowa traffic crashes over the Thanksgiving holiday last year.

Sgt. Nate Ludwig Ludwig, public information officer with the Iowa State Patrol, said additional officers will be on the roads for the majority of this week thanks to a nationwide program called the Combined Accident Reduction Effort.

Local police and sheriff departments also will be increasing officer presence on the roads from Nov. 20 through 27, with grant funds through Iowa's Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau's special Traffic Enforcement Program.

The Linn County Sheriff's Office anticipates deputies will spend an additional 40 hours working, thanks to those funds.

Ludwig noted he's not as worried about this week's weather as much as about the convergence of holiday activities. Impromptu parties Wednesday night among friends home from college, holiday commuters on Thanksgiving as well as Black Friday shoppers, and a University of Iowa home football game all could contribute to a challenging commute.

'Interstate 80 will be packed with people driving over from Lincoln, (Neb.),” Ludwig said. 'The long four-day weekend makes for a storm of cars on the road.”

Ludwig reminded motorists to find a designated driver if they have been drinking, wear their seat belt, put their cellphones down and take their time on the road.

'We're just trying to stress the fact that driving is the biggest thing. You've got to get to where you need to go first,” Ludwig said. 'You can't enjoy the football game, you can't enjoy the mall and you can't enjoy your family if you don't get there safely.”

The state could get some help from the weather come Thursday and Friday, however. Conditions are expected to stay mostly dry and even clear up into the weekend, with highs projected in the lower and then upper 40s, according to the National Weather Service.

l Comments: (319) 339-3158, vanessa.miller@thegazette.com; (319) 339-3175, mitchell.schmidt@thegazette.com