The Iowa State Patrol Public Information Officer reveals what holiday in 2024 saw the most traffic-related deaths in the state’s fastest growing county.

Sergeant Alex Dinkla tells Raccoon Valley Radio that the two most common holidays with the most traffic-related fatalities are Memorial Day and Labor Day, but for Dallas County, it was the 4th of July holiday that recorded the most lives lost. He says in 2024 in Dallas County during America’s Independence Day holiday, nine people were killed, with a third of them due to alcohol, compared to eight traffic-related deaths in 2023.

“Fourth of July seems to be one of the big ticket items out of there, where people choose to go to different festivities and ultimately do not make the right choices, as last year we saw three of those crashes were alcohol related.”

Dinkla notes that Memorial Day and Labor Day had a combined three fatalities in Dallas County. As 2025 starts up, Dinkla is hopeful that more people will understand the importance of not getting behind the wheel after drinking, and setting up to have a designated driver if they are planning to travel to another destination.