Articles Tagged: Traffic deaths

Iowa will join 30 other states that passed laws making it illegal to handle a cellphone while driving, starting July 1. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the new law Wednesday, surrounded by people who have lost loved ones to distracted driving.

Fewer people died in traffic crashes in Iowa in 2024 than did the year before, but the rate still is higher than seen in recent years -- as high speeds, distracted driving, lax use of seat belts and wrong-way drivers continue to pose dangers on the state’s roadways.

Bills limiting cellphone use while driving by mandating hands-free technology have been introduced in the Iowa Legislature since 2019, but all attempts at passage have been unsuccessful. More than 30 other states have passed such laws. Why won't Iowa?

Speeding convictions in Iowa rose in 2023, but still were down about 17 percent from a decade ago -- a decline that some law enforcement officials believe isn’t due to drivers speeding any less, but rather reduced enforcement as agencies cope with staff shortages and increased workloads.

Excessive speed, distracted driving, impaired driving and not wearing seat belts are some of the motorist behaviors that pushed fatalities to 372 in 2023 so far -- up 10 percent from last year and well over five-year average.

Iowa travelers will see bustling airports, clear roads, busy highways and lower prices at the pump this week. The Thanksgiving holiday travel period is expected to be the busiest in several years and a record-setter for air travel.

Iowa has been using cable barriers on its interstates since 2003, but are they really effective in stopping crashes? How do they work?

Traffic fatalities in Iowa in 2023 are higher than they’ve been at this point in the year for the past five years, with more than 300 people killed so far.

Iowa City Council members discussed traffic safety and reviewed a 10-year pedestrian collision analysis during a Tuesday work session, in part due to public concerns and perceptions about pedestrian safety in the wake of the death of a jogger in a marked Iowa City crosswalk in May.

Iowa law enforcement will be out on the road Wednesday ready to pull over speeding vehicles and motorcycles as part of a multistate traffic safety awareness campaign.

Iowa’s Fayette County to get $10 million grant for traffic safety.

Iowa is among a minority of states that does not ban hand-held use of mobile devices while driving.

Additional charges were filed Wednesday against a Cedar Rapids man accused of causing a crash that killed one woman and seriously injured another.

Already this year, there have been 110 fatalities on Iowa roads, which is 15 more than a year ago at this time and 29 more than in 2020, according to Iowa Department of Transportation data. Based on the current number, an Iowa State Patrol spokesman said Iowa is on track to see 360 fatalities this year.

The Iowa State Patrol has identified 60-year-old Annie Zleh, of Muscatine, as the victim killed in a crash Sunday in Johnson County.