DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Authorities are launching an effort to reduce fatal crashes on Iowa’s secondary rural roads.  The Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau announced the effort, which began Tuesday and continues through Sept. 30th, 2015.  The program will focus on rural secondary roads in Fremont, Allamakee, Marion, Webster and Palo Alto counties. Those counties agreed to participate after an analysis of 10 years of crash data and seat belt compliance rates.

Participating counties will take a three-tier approach including enforcement of traffic laws, especially the seat belt law, education about traffic laws and low-cost safety improvements in the participating counties.  The safety bureau says 72 percent of fatal crashes in 2012 were on secondary rural roads. Those roads make up 79 percent of Iowa’s total roadways.

Iowa had 317 traffic fatalities in 2013.