Memorial Day is less than a week a way, and this coming weekend is expected to be one of the busiest travel holidays of the summer. With that in mind, the Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau is partnering with the National Highway Traffic Safety Bureau to sponsor a special Traffic Enforcement Program, or sTEP Wave.

The national focus for the safety program is on seatbelt violations, with the theme being “Click It or Ticket.” Dallas County Sheriff Chad Leonard says his office is taking part in the program, which started Monday and will run through Sunday, June 2nd. Leonard says a sTEP Wave essentially pays for the overtime accrued by law enforcement, so they can have a larger presence on the roads during high-traffic holidays. “It allows us to basically free up officers’ time from taking calls, and they just go out and do traffic enforcement. And with it being Memorial weekend coming up, the traffic flow is going to be twice what it is on a daily basis. So we need that added enforcement out there to slow things down.”

Leonard adds, they will also be paying close attention to people texting while driving, as well as drivers impaired by drugs or alcohol. He also reminds people to watch out for bicyclists and farm implements on the roads, as Memorial weekend is a popular time for both to be active. To hear more from Leonard, listen to today’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program on air and at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.