Law enforcement agencies from across Iowa and the nation will be stepping up enforcement to save lives from now through this Labor Day weekend. Authorities say the motoring public will notice more officers and increased safety messaging.The Special Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) runs August 25th through September 7th.

The Labor Day weekend traditionally signals the end of summer and often involves one last road trip for the year with the family. It also involves a high rate of drunk driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2013, the most recent year in which data is available, there were 424 crash fatalities nationwide over the three-day Labor Day weekend. Almost half of those fatal crashes involved drivers who had been drinking, and 27 percent of those drivers had a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of .15 or higher – nearly twice the legal limit of .08. In the same time period, four (4) people were killed in crashes in Iowa, twenty-five percent of those were alcohol related.

Iowa is offering a new, SaferRide mobile app (which is free from the Apple iTunes store and Google Play) that can help users call a taxi or a friend for a ride home. The app can even help you identify your location so you can be picked up. If you know you will be drinking, plan how you will get home afterward.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau reminds you that, “Driving sober is not just a recommendation, it’s the law!”