SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — Compared to this time last year, traffic deaths in Iowa are now on the decline, and the Iowa State Patrol wants that trend to continue.

So far, there have been 308 traffic fatalities in the state of Iowa. Last year during the week of Thanksgiving, 34 people were either seriously injured or killed in a car crash, and 40 percent of those were not wearing seat belts. The Iowa State Patrol has now come up with a theme to try and help minimize potential accidents from occurring: “S.I.D.E.”

“S, Seat belt; I, Impaired driving; D, Distracted driving; E, Excessive speed,” trooper Jay Kirkpatrick said. “If we can wear our seat belt, if we can slow down, if we can give ourselves more time, if we can take away distractions, whether that be a phone or dogs in the car or animals or kids or whatever. Whatever the distraction is, if we can remove that, we’re gonna save lives.”

Trooper Kirkpatrick also added to avoid using cruise control when it’s snowing or icy to keep your car from spinning out of control. A reminder also, the Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB) is partnering with law enforcement across Iowa to promote road safety during the Thanksgiving holiday season. Now through December 1, drivers can expect to see increased law enforcement on our roads. The State Patrol advises motorists to “Please buckle up, slow down, and drive sober!”

The Iowa Department of Transportation reports road construction is not expected to cause any delays for those heading to Grandma’s house. Brian Worrel, of the Iowa DOT Workzone Operations says construction weather was good this past summer, but was slowed a little by rains this fall. While he expects an uptick in the amount of traffic  volume over the holiday travel period, those construction  zones shouldn’t have any more of an impact than it did over the summer, and they’re hoping to get motorists through those zones as safely as possible.

The DOT provides road information on its Iowa 511 website.