Law enforcement is reminding the public to stress extra caution for the upcoming Labor Day weekend.

Labor Day is known as the last major holiday of the summer, which usually brings nice weather to have a relaxing time. Iowa State Patrol Sergeant Alex Dinkla shares that a lot of people are planning to travel over the weekend, especially with the University of Iowa and Iowa State University football teams both in action in the state. With the volume of traffic out on the roadways this time of year, Dinkla reports the number of people killed over the last couple of years.

“We have had 13 different fatalities, four of those alcohol related. And we want to make sure that we continue to drive down that fatality number as our fatality count, when we compare it to last year, is down about 38 (people), but unfortunately 209 lives have still been lost on Iowa roads so far in 2024.”

Dinkla emphasizes that the department is really going to target the infractions of operating while intoxicated (OWI). He kindly reminds people to find designated drivers if they know they will be drinking alcoholic beverages.