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Law enforcement beefs up roadway patrol during holiday

As 4th of July celebrations commence, officials in Iowa and Illinois are anticipating more traffic on the roadways, and adding more officers on patrol.
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As 4th of July celebrations commence, officials in Iowa and Illinois are anticipating more traffic on the roadways, and thus beefing up their patrol.

The Iowa State Patrol will have extra officers patrolling roadways during the holiday week.

According to The Department of Public Safety, thousands of Iowans are expected to be traveling around Independence Day. Officers are reminding drivers to buckle up and obey the laws of the road.

The department said police will be out looking for seat belt violators, speeders, impaired and distracted drivers.

“Safety is our number one goal,” said Colonel Garrison of the Iowa State Patrol. “If motorists simply buckle-up and obey the speed limit and other laws we can avoid fatal crashes on our roadways this holiday.”

In Iowa in 2012, no traffic fatalities were reported on Iowa roadways. Garrison said the department would like to see this trend continue. In Illinois, IDOT’s Division of Traffic Safety shows that four people were killed in traffic accidents in 2012.

According to Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), over 300 local law enforcement agencies are joining The Illinois State Police, Illinois Secretary of State Police, and IDOT in an annual Independence Day crackdown on drunk drivers.

Through Sunday, July 7, officers will conduct roadside safety checks, and saturation patrols to keep the roads safe from impaired drivers.

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