With the 4th of July holiday a few days away, Iowa State Patrol Sergeant Alex Dinkla outlines the dangers of drunk driving.

Dinkla tells Raccoon Valley Radio that there’s been much conversation revolving around drunk driving, but he points out that buzzed driving is just as dangerous. Dinkla stresses not to risk getting behind the wheel if a person has had anything to drink, and to make the smart decision to call a designated driver. 

“Because it just takes a matter of seconds to change your life, or change somebody else’s life and it’s plain and simple, it is just not worth it to go through an OWI, go through an injury collison. Get home safely, and that way you can wake up the next day and head out to work or whenever you may be. We want to make sure that people are safe and responsible.”

Dinkla illustrates that over the past five years, there’s been over 32 fatalities as a result of drunk driving over the 4th of July holiday. He attributes 50% of those being alcohol related and admits that most people believe they are still functional enough to drive after a few drinks, even though they shouldn’t. 

Dinkla comments that 128 people have been killed on Iowa roadways in 2024 and reiterates to wear seatbelts as he exemplifies that of those, 47% of people were not buckled in.