The number of people killed in traffic crashes in Iowa this year will likely be more than last year. The 317 traffic fatalities last year marked the lowest annual total since 1944. As of Tuesday of this week, the traffic fatality count for this year already stood at 317. Iowa State Patrol Sergeant Scott Bright says there were some violent collisions last month on the state’s roadways that quickly raised the number of traffic deaths for the year.

“We had 40-some fatalities just in November,” Bright said. “I recall one where we had five fatalities just in one collision.” There was also a single weekend back in January when freezing rain made roads slick and 11 people lost their lives on Iowa roadways. While most Iowans wear a seat belt when they’re in a vehicle, more than half of the people who died last year in Iowa traffic crashes were not wearing a seat belt.

“What we’re seeing is a lot of people around small communities, if they’re just leaving their house and going three or four miles, they aren’t using their seat belts,” Bright said. “Most collisions usually occur 10 miles from your residence, so if people are going to leave their home for just a few miles, put that seat belt on. Seat belts do save lives.” According to U.S. Department of Transportation figures, around 94-percent of Iowans routinely buckle-up in a vehicle. The national seat belt usage rate is 87-percent.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

KEOKUK, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man who dresses as Santa Claus for charity has lost his home and all of his belongings in a Christmas Eve fire. The Hawk Eye in Burlington says firefighters were called to a Keokuk home around 10:20 a.m. Wednesday. By the time they arrived, the house was engulfed in flames. The home belonged to Robert Tripp, who portrays Santa for the Salvation Army in Keokuk. Officials suspect electrical wiring caused the blaze.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An overnight fire has destroyed a Des Moines home, but firefighters managed to save the family’s Christmas presents. KCCI-TV reports that flames were shooting through the home’s roof when firefighters arrived shortly after 3 a.m. yesterday. No one was injured. Family members had left the home hours earlier to visit relatives in Atlantic. Firefighters say they were able to save the family’s Christmas tree and their presents.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a 52-year-old man has died at a hospital after a shooting at a Waterloo home on Christmas Eve. Police yesterday identified the man as Randall Dawson of Waterloo. Officers and medics were sent to the home about 9:25 p.m. Wednesday.

LOGAN, Iowa (AP) — A western Iowa man is dead and two others were seriously injured after a two-vehicle crash. 58-year-old Richard Tiffey Junior of Logan was killed in the crash around 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The driver of a pickup truck suffered from an apparent medical condition Thursday in Pottawattamie County, causing the vehicle to crash. According to the Iowa State Patrol, a 2006 Chevy pickup driven by 37-year old John Shannon McCreary, of Council Bluffs, was traveling south on Interstate 29 about three-miles north of the Crescent exit. McCreary had a medical issue and lost consciousness, causing his vehicle to crash through a fence and entering 145th Street, which parallels I-29. The pickup continued into a ditch on the west side of 145th, rolled over, and finally came to rest in a farm field.

McCreary, who was wearing his seat belt, was transported by Crescent Rescue to Jennie Edmundson Hospital, in Council Bluffs.

A central Iowa family visiting relatives in Atlantic lost their home to a fire early Christmas day. KCCI-TV reports firefighters in Des Moines were called to the home at 7005 Southwest 15th Street in Des Moines, at around 3-a.m., after a neighbor saw flames shooting through the roof. Officials say the family had left the home just a couple hours before the fire started to visit relatives in Atlantic.

Three adults and two children under 10 years old live in the home. There were no injuries. The home was a total loss, but firefighter were able to save the family’s Christmas presents. A tarp now covers the collapsed roof. They estimate the damage at more than $130,000. The Red Cross was assisting the family.

The cause of the blaze was under investigation. Since thanksgiving, 50 fires have occurred in the capital city.

A traffic stop Thursday morning in Red Oak resulted in an arrest. According to Red Oak Police, 45-year old Robert Joe Coddington, of Red Oak, was stopped at around 8:40-a.m. in the 700 block of north Broadway Street. He was subsequently taken into custody for Driving While Revoked. Coddington was then released on a citation and given a court date. His car was towed away and held in an impound lot.