Iowa Seeking to Reduce Fatal Crashes on Rural Roads

An effort to reduce fatal crashes on secondary rural roads has been launched in Iowa.

The Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau announced the effort, which began April 1 and continues through Sept. 30, 2015.

The program will focus on rural secondary roads in Allamakee, Marion, Webster, Fremont and Palo Alto counties. Those counties agreed to participate after an analysis of 10 years of crash data and seat belt compliance rates.

Participating counties will take a three-tier approach including enforcement of traffic laws, especially the seat belt law, education about traffic laws and low-cost safety improvements in the participating counties.

The safety bureau says 72 percent of fatal crashes in 2012 were on secondary rural roads. Those roads make up 79 percent of Iowa’s total roadways.

Iowa had 317 traffic fatalities in 2013.