There is one area the Iowa State Patrol is cracking down during the Thanksgiving holiday. 

Sergeant Alex Dinkla reminds people to put their seatbelt on before driving to their destination. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio that all occupants in the vehicle need to make sure they are strapped in.

“Even if you’re in the back seat, buckle that seatbelt. Any time that you’re involved in a crash, and you’re not seatbelted, just imagine that weight of your body traveling forward into the person ahead of you.”

Dinkla stresses that over the past four years, there have been 17 fatalities around Thanksgiving due to people not wearing their seatbelts. He points out four crucial areas that people should memorize with the acronym “S.I.D.E.” which stands for Seatbelts, Impaired driving, Distracted driving, and Excessive speed.