Don't Rely on the Luck of the Irish

March 8, 2018

In order to make roads safer all across the state, drivers will notice heightened traffic enforcement March 14 – 17, 2018. The Marshall County Sheriff’s Office and Marshalltown Police Department will be joining law enforcement officers statewide and will be watching for drunk drivers and vehicle occupants not wearing a seat belt.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nationally, during the 2016 St. Patrick’s holiday (the latest year numbers are available) 39% of all vehicle crash fatalities involved drunk drivers. In the hours between midnight and 6:00 a.m. on March 18th, 69% of all crash fatalities involved drunk drivers. Marshall County was one of the High Five fatality counties in 2017 and over half of those fatal crashes involved impaired drivers.

Drunk driving IS preventable! It is not worth the risk of injury, jail time, your death, or the death of another person. No designated driver? Download the NHTSA app, “SaferRide” before going out to celebrate. The app will allow users to call a taxi or designated friend for a ride home by just identifying their location.

There will be extra Deputies and Officers out patrolling our roadways to help keep our community safe during this holiday weekend. While the focus of the safety campaign is impaired drivers; law enforcement will also be looking for other dangerous driving behaviors that are leading causes of injury or death in traffic crashes such as excessive speed, distracted driving, and seat belt and child restraint use. As of March 6th, 50 people have lost their lives in crashes on Iowa roadways. Please remember to drive safe.

About Marshall County Sheriff's Office
The Marshall County, Iowa Sheriff's Office is led by Sheriff Steve Hoffman and is committed to keeping communities and neighborhoods safe in Marshall County.

For additional information or a sample copy, contact:
Sgt. Ben Veren
Marshall County Sheriff's Office
641-754-6380
Fax 641-754-6325
Sheriff@co.marshall.ia.us
www.marshallcountysheriff.com

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