Extra enforcement planned for Labor Day

Area law enforcement agencies are once again stepping up patrols in advance of the Labor Day holiday weekend.

Chief Deputy Duane Bates of the Clay County Sheriff's Office is coordinating the year's fifth and final wave of sTEP, the special traffic enforcement program. The enforcement effort is being held in conjunction with "Over the Limit. Under Arrest," a national drunk driving awareness campaign.

The sTEP wave began August 18 and will run through August 31. Once again, patrolling officers remind all drivers and passengers to use seat belts. The fine for failure to use seatbelt is $88 in Clay County.

This year the Clay County Sheriff's Office completed its 13th year participating in the sTEP program. The Spencer Police Department and its officers also have been ongoing participants in the coordinated program.

"Each year has been very successful in making drivers and passengers aware of the seatbelt laws," Bates said in his statement. "At one point this year, Clay County reached a 96 percent (seat belt) usage rate."

Trooper Vince Kurtz, the safety education officer for the Iowa State Patrol office in Spencer, said his agency also has a role in projects to reduce the number of crashes on Iowa Highways. He encourages travelers to use defensive driving skills on the road. In his statement, Krutz offered drivers the following safety tips:

* Buckle up -- seat belt use in every seating position gives occupants the best chance of surviving a surviving a crash.

* Drive defensively -- Be prepared for other motorists to make mistakes and drive accordingly.

* Use a designated driver -- If weekend plans include alcohol, make sure to have a designated driver in place to get everyone home safely.

* Obey posted speed limits -- Excessive speed continues to be a major contributor to vehicle crashes.

* Avoid distractions behind the wheel -- Examples of distractions include cell phones, texting, eating and reading.

"Our purpose continues to be convincing the motoring public to buckle up, save lives and reduce serious injuries," said Randy Hunefeld, sTEP Coordinator with the Iowa Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau. "During this sTEP wave we need to further focus our attention on getting drunk or impaired drivers off our roadways. We need the help of the motoring public to buckle up, slow down and drive sober. Traffic safety is the business of every law enforcement officer. With increased patrols and focused enforcement across Iowa this Labor Day holiday, the odds of getting arrested for drunk driving or receiving a traffic ticket are greatly increased."

Reducing death on Iowa roads is the state patrol's biggest challenge, according to Hunefeld's statement. Alcohol-related traffic deaths have risen in Iowa for three consecutive years, finishing 2007 with 111, which is up 40 percent from the all-time low of 78 set in 2004.

During the July 3-6, 2008 sTEP wave, participating agencies reported 397 contacts with alcohol- or drug-impaired drivers, 1,501 safety belt violations, 6,174 speeding violations, 249 stop sign or traffic signal violations and a total of 14,344 enforcement contacts. Officers assisted 805 motorists and apprehended 96 wanted persons, seven felony and 75 narcotics arrests during that period.