Iowa Statewide Crackdown on Speeders Coming Later This Week

Iowans have apparently gone mad when it comes to speeding since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Later this week, the Cedar Rapids Police Department and other law enforcement agencies across Iowa will be out in force to try to get Iowans to let up on the gas, in an effort to save lives.

The statewide Traffic Fatality Reduction Task Force's goal is to reduce the number of people killed on Iowa roads. Crash data over the last decade shows that this time of the year is the deadliest on Iowa roadways. As a result, this Thursday, September 16, officers with the Cedar Rapids Police Department, troopers with the Iowa State Patrol, and other law enforcement across Iowa will be taking part in an initiative to reduce speeding. Lord knows they have to do something.

According to a media release from the Cedar Rapids Police Department, data from the Iowa State Patrol shows drivers exceeding posted speed limits by 25 mph or more increased by an astounding 74 percent over the course of 2020, compared to 2019.

It gets worse. During that same time frame, almost 1,500 drivers (1,497 to be exact) in Iowa were ticketed for traveling more than 100 miles per hour. That's nothing short of stupid and the number is up 108 percent when compared to the preceding 4-year average.

Iowa hasn't had less than 300 fatalities over the course of an entire year since 1925. There were 338 in 2020. Earlier today, the number stands at 235. That's the most deaths on Iowa roadways through September 14, since 2016. One sure way to make sure that number doesn't continue to increase at an alarming rate is to slow down. There's nothing more truthful than the simple statement, Arrive Alive. Being late is forgivable and it sure beats the alternative for you and the ones you love.