STEP program encourages drivers to buckle up

Between July 1 and July 7, 2015, the Mt. Pleasant participated in the STEP program (Special Traffic Enforcement Program). A seat belt survey was conducted prior to the program and the percentage of drivers wearing seatbelts in Mt Pleasant was 87 percent. A sample was taken after the program and the percentage was 91 percent.

There were 56 contacts made during this program. There were 21 citations and over 54 warnings as some vehicles had multiple infractions.

Too many lives are lost on Iowa roadways due to excessive speeds because drivers are in a hurry to get to their destinations. Speeding, ignoring stop signs or other traffic signs, not buckling up, or even driving drunk could cost you financially, or worse, they may even cost you your life or the life of someone else.

How important is it to buckle up ?Every Trip, Every Time?? Seventy-seven percent of all occupants ejected from a vehicle during a crash are killed. In 2013, Iowa had 317 traffic fatalities with more than 43 percent of them or 107 not restrained by a seat belt.

The Mt Pleasant Police Department continues to urge people to buckle up and drive safe.