DES MOINES, Iowa -- If you've got driving plans over the Memorial Day weekend, you'll have plenty of company from law enforcement agencies across Iowa.
"Distracted driving, people driving impaired--whether that's alcohol or drug impairment--people speeding, and people not wearing their seat belts are going to be the four main criteria we're going to be out there looking in full force for," says Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Alex Dinkla.
"April and May, we've seen those fatalities start to go on the rise, and that's not good news for us. We have a goal that we're trying to get to under 300 fatalities, which Iowa has not seen since 1925," Dinkla says.
He also says they've seen a pattern for more than a year now--speeding drivers going WAY over the speed limit.
"One hundred-and-30, 140, 150 miles per hour is how much we're seeing on our roadways. When it gets right down to it, there is absolutely no excuse in the world for being able to drive that fast and trying to keep yourself safe," Dinkla says.
Through May 26th the Iowa Department of Transportation says 96 people have died on the state's roads so far this year.
The DOT says there were 337 traffic fatalities in 2020.