Iowa State Patrol is continuing its mission to reduce the number of annual crash fatalities with an enforcement project in Guthrie County, though conditions have changed in light of COVID-19.

ISP District 4 Public Information Officer Shelby McCreedy says their goal is to cut the number of vehicle wreck deaths to below 300 this year by focusing on Seatbelts, Impairment, Distractions, and Excessive Speed (SIDE). Though as more Iowans are staying home because of COVID-19, McCreedy says it’s forced them to rethink their enforcement projects, “For the last month, passenger vehicle traffic on highways and interstate systems throughout the state have been down about 50 percent, but what has increased monumentally is the number of speeds and the speed people are going.”

In the last week, the state patrol has seen a 41 percent increase in speed citations for speeds of 25 miles-per-hour or greater than the posted speed limit, a 46 percent increase in speed citations issued for speeds equal to or greater than 100 miles-per-hour, and a 36 percent increase in pursuits. McCreedy affirms that they have not changed staff numbers or routines because of COVID-19, and to be mindful of the presence they will have on the Highway 141 corridor in Guthrie County today.