(Council Bluffs) — State law enforcement officials are reminding motorists to celebrate the Independence Day holiday safely this weekend.
The Iowa State Patrol is among the various law enforcement agencies across the state raising awareness of impaired and distracted driving ahead of the extended 4th of July holiday weekend. Trooper Ryan Devault is the public resource officer with the patrol’s Council Bluffs post. Devault tells KMA News that Iowa had nine traffic fatalities over the 4th of July weekend last year–making it the deadliest Independence Day weekend in over a decade.
“We just need people to, you know, do the right things when they’re out there on the road, with one of those being giving yourself plenty of time–plan on delays, whether it be bathroom breaks or row construction or getting behind an accident that’s already occurred,” said Devault. “Don’t cut those times short to where now all of a sudden, you’re starting to push your time limit and then speed up and and make things more dangerous for yourself and everybody else.”…