Fairfield police join sTEP to remind drivers to obey laws

The Iowa Department of Public Safety wants everyone to arrive safely at their destinations as millions of Americans hit the roads for the holidays.

The Fairfield Police Department will be joining more than 400 Iowa agencies in the special Traffic Enforcement Program Tuesday through Nov. 29. Law enforcement officials will be patrolling city streets, rural roadways and interstates urging motorists to buckle up and obey all traffic laws.

The Iowa Department of Transportation reported 318 fatalities on Iowa roadways as of Nov. 2. During the 2009 Thanksgiving holiday weekend, 10 people died on Iowa roadways. Eight people died during the 2008 holiday weekend.

In November 2009, Iowa experienced 35 fatalities. The total number of fatalities in 2009 was 371.

D.O.T. officials say over the last decade, the Thanksgiving holiday has had the highest number of traffic deaths of the six different holidays tracked by the department. The Thanksgiving holiday runs from noon on Wednesday to midnight on Sunday.

For the complete article, see the Friday, Nov. 19, 2010, printed edition of The Fairfield Ledger.