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Midwest Patrols Join Forces To Combat Dramatic Rise In Speeding

Region 7 of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which includes the states of Iowa, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, is pooling its resources in an effort to combat dramatic increases in speeding in every state. Over the course of 2020, each state tracked speeders and report that even though the number of drivers on the roads decreased because of the pandemic, instances of excessive speed went up. Iowa saw a 108 percent increase, the highest among all five states by a large margin. Kansas reported a 68 percent increase with Nebraska at 70 percent, Missouri 82 percent and Arkansas 89 percent. And though less vehicles on roadways typically means less fatalities, this was not the case either. The Iowa State Patrol’s primary goal for 2021 is to reduce traffic-related deaths to under 300, which has not occurred since 1925. “When you think about all the enhanced safety features in today’s vehicles and superior road designs that help prevent crashes, it becomes very clear that the prevailing factor in why the fatality rate remains high is drivers taking unnecessary risks,” says Major Randy Kunert with the Iowa State Patrol. A collaboration with the other State Patrol agencies will bring enhanced awareness of this dangerous problem in their hopes of changing driver behavior. “Partnering with other state and local law enforcement agencies is a great start,” Kunert says, “but we need the public’s help. The power to reduce traffic-related serious injury and fatality crashes is in everyone’s hands. Drive safe Iowa.”

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