(Council Bluffs, Iowa/KJAN) – The holiday travel season is upon us. Americans will be making their way over the river and through the woods…to see distant – and not so distant relatives, by plane, train and automobile. If you’re traveling on the road to make your destination, be advised law enforcement agencies across the State will be watching to ensure drivers obey the rules of the road, and making it there and back, safely. Last year in Iowa, 11 people lost their lives on the State’s roads between November 15^th and the 28^th, which is the holiday traveling time-frame. State Patrol Trooper Ryan Devault with District 3 in Council Bluffs , says to-date, there have been 302 fatalities statewide since the beginning of the year.

Devault says seat-belts save lives. Since the beginning of the year also, 27 traffic-related deaths have occurred in the nine-county region Post 3 covers south of I-80 in southwest Iowa. That’s one more than the number of fatalities that occurred last year. The Iowa State Patrol, Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB), and other law enforcement agencies across the State, are working together to keep the Thanksgiving travel tradition alive, but reminding motorists of some simple tips.

The number of reckless, impatient and aggressive drivers have been increasing since the COVID virus began to wane and more motorists take to the road. Trooper Devault says over 90 crashes involve some sort of bad driver behavior, such as weaving in-and-out of traffic, tailgating and brake-checking other drivers.

Inattentive driving is another factor in many crashes. There are number of things that can make a driver want to take their eyes off the road, including conversations with people inside your vehicle. Devault offers this piece of advice…

And, of course, if your holiday plans involve an alcoholic beverage or two, don’t drive impaired.

In 2020, one-person was killed every 45-minutes in a drunk or impaired driver crash on the nation’s roads.