As the holiday weekend approaches, the agency is out with a reminder to drive safely and stay sober behind the wheel.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Region 7, which includes Iowa and Nebraska, wants to remind everyone about the dangers of drinking and impaired driving.
The agency says the high visibility national enforcement campaign "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" runs through Labor Day.
Administrators say during this period, local law enforcement will especially show zero tolerance for impaired driving.
Increased state and national messages about the dangers of driving high or drunk, coupled with special enforcements and increased officers on the streets and highways, aim to drastically reduce impaired driving.
According to the NHTSA, 10,511 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes in 2018 – 613 in the Nebraska and Iowa region alone.
On average, 10,000 people were killed each year from 2014 to 2018, with one person dying in drunk-driving crashes every 50 minutes in 2018, according to the administration.