Deputies take driving safety sTEP by sTEP

(Photo by Russ Mitchell) Deputy Jesse Rustad checks on the driving status of a motorist traveling west on Highway 18 between Dickens and Spencer. Added patrols will be in place between Thursday and March 17 as part of the state's special Traffic Enforcement Program (sTEP). An improperly-displayed front license place prompted this stop, which ended with a warning. [Order this photo]

On Thursday, it delivered some dry traveling conditions, good seat belt use and drivers who didn't flaunt the speed limit on U.S. Highway 18 between Dickens and Spencer.

Deputies have a program for the other drivers -- the ones who celebrate St. Patrick's Day with more vigor as an example.

The state's special Traffic Enforcement Program, or "sTEP," puts extra patrol cars on the road during peak times of travel and celebration. The current one began Thursday and comes to a conclusion Tuesday night.

The state's enforcement "waves" are well-coordinated and well-publicized. If Rustad pulls you over for a violation in Clay County, on the other hand, it was a probably a lot more random. That's the idea -- a deputy could be anywhere.

"There are no specific routes," he said of his approach to patrols. "You just cruise. You just go wherever you feel like going -- you've got the whole county."

Rustad has fielded the occasional scowl from drivers since joining the Clay County Sheriff's Office in the summer of 2005. Still, he says he gets treated "generally decent" by the drivers he stops.

"You try not to let them get under their skin," Rustad said. "The main thing is trying to be consistent, not trying to play favorites with people -- everybody knows everybody, so that's the best route to take."

Randy Hunefeld, the sTEP coordinator for the Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau, said extra emphasis will be placed on removing those drivers who choose to get behind the wheel after drinking too much. Iowa patrol officers stopped 457 drunk drivers during a similar sTEP wave in 2008.

Traffic fatalities are the leading cause of death among persons 5 to 34 years of age and alcohol is the leading cause of fatal traffic crashes by an overwhelming margin.

"I believe it has saved lives because it raises awareness," Clay County Sheriff Randy Krukow said of the program. "There's more of us out there. There's more visibility and we're checking those people that may have had too much to drink, then drive."

During 2008, Iowa recorded 413 traffic fatalities, down from 446 in 2007. Hunefeld feels more progress can be made.

"The tragic loss of life could be cut in half if individuals would take the time to buckle up, slow down and drive sober," he said.

NOT JUST DRUNK DRIVING

The sTEP program is also intended to to crack down on speeders and those who refuse to buckle up.

"It could be equipment, too -- with safety belts, lights and other equipment that we see," Clay County Sheriff Randy Krukow said. "I believe there are a lot of people may be driving or thinking about driving who don't have a license or don't have insurance. It may be giving them second thoughts of doing so."

No such luck on Monday, when deputies took 21-year-old Arturo Hernandez-Reyes of Milford into custody on charges of failure to have a driver's license and failure to have insurance.

Hernandez-Reyes was northbound, just before 10 p.m. along U.S. Highway 71 in Clay County when the 2002 Dodge Stratus he was driving struck a black cow standing in the middle of the road. Hernandez-Reyes was not injured in the accident. The cow, owned by Curtis Jones of Sioux Rapids wasn't as fortunate. It had to be put down due to its injuries.

The car, owned by Ezequil Hernandez of Storm Lake, was damaged beyond repair according to the sheriff's report.

Last year during the March sTEP wave in Iowa, nearly 1,500 officers from 231 law enforcement agencies participated. During the enforcement wave they identified a total of 17,457 traffic violations. That total included 1,994 seat belt and 6,404 speed contacts. There were 382 traffic crashes investigated and one traffic fatality reported.