Two arrests made during STEP program

Twenty-two citations and over 93 warnings were given during the Nov. 22-29 Special Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP), conducted by the Mt. Pleasant Police Department, according to Lt. Lyle Murray.

In addition there were two arrests on warrants, 21 motorist assists and four accidents investigated, Murray said.

Prior to the program, a seatbelt survey was conducted and the percentage of drivers in Mt. Pleasant wearing seatbelts was 84 percent. A sample taken after the program revealed that 85 percent of motorists were wearing their seatbelts.

Murray stressed the importance of seatbelt usage, relating that 77 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 the fatalities, or 107, not restrained by a seatbelt.

Officials with the Mt. Pleasant Police Department said 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 may even cost you your life or the life of someone else, Murray emphasized.