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Summer 2002

Iowa Departmentof Public Safety

In this issue...

Calendar 2

Drive SafelyWork Week 2

Iowa Conferenceon Traffic Safety 2

Child/Youth InjuryPrevention Confer-ence 2

Put the Brakes onFatality Day 3

Clayton CountyCheckpoint 4

Traffic Enforce-ment in Iowa 5

Older DriversForum 6

Seat BeltAwards 8

sTEP Waves2002

November 25 - December 1

Iowa seat belt use 81%Goal by 2003 85%Midwest ranking # 2 (Michigan is #1)U.S. Ranking # 9

Buck Appointed sTEPCoordinator

An eight-year veteran of the DPS wasappointed to coordinate Iowa's SpecialTraffic Enforcement Program. TrooperAdam Buck will coordinate more than 170contracts with sheriffs offices and policedepartments across Iowa.

Buck, a Clarinda native, joined theDPS as a Capitol Police officer. Fouryears ago he was assigned to Indianola asa state trooper.

GTSB Director, J. Michael Laski, said"Adam is a fine addition to our staff andwe look forward to his contributions."

Buck replaces Lu Simpson who wasrecently appointed occupant protectioncoordinator and Central Iowa area admin-istrator.

Impressive Results fromSpecial Alcohol Project

by Robert L. Thompson,Evaluator, GTSB

The results are in for the DPS's Aprilthrough June special alcohol enforcementand education project and the numbers arevery impressive:♦ 569 OWI arrests♦ 625 open container citations♦ 109 violations for .02 BAC (zero

tolerance)♦ More than 700 OWI /administra-

tive revocations♦ More than 200 non-driving

alcohol offenses

Continued on page 4...

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Calendar

Sept 19:Traffic & SafetyEngineering Forum,University ParkHoliday Inn, WestDes Moines

Oct 7-11:Drive Safely WorkWeek

Oct 10:Put the Brakes onFatalities Day

Oct 20-26:National SchoolBus Safety Week

Oct 31-Nov 1:Iowa Conference onTraffic Safety,Stoney Creek Inn,Johnston

Nov 14-16:Iowa EMS Assn.Conference andTrade Show, PolkCounty ConventionComplex, DesMoines

Nov 13-14:Safety in PlanningWorkshop

March 9-11, 2002:Lifesavers, Chicago

March 25-27, 2002Governor's High-way Traffic SafetyConference,Embassy Suites,Des Moines

CrossRoadsThomas J. Vilsack, GovernorKevin Techau, Commissioner,Iowa Department of Public SafetyJ. Michael Laski, Director,Governor's Traffic Safety BureauMark J. Campbell, EditorWith assistance from Sandy Bennett,Ihla Hochstetler, Lu Simpson, BobThompson, Denny Becker & ShelleyDeForest.

CrossRoads is published quarterly by theGovernor's Traffic Safety Bureau215 East 7th StreetDes Moines IA 50319-0248Phone: 515/281-3907Fax: 515/281-6190E-Mail: gtsbinfo@dps.state.ia.us

We welcome article submissions andideas pertaining to traffic safety.

Visit our website at:www.state.ia.us/government/dps/gtsb/

Drive Safely Work Week

The annual Drive Safely Work Weekcampaign theme for 2002 is "DriveFocused Stay Safe," October 7-11, 2002.This year’s campaign helps employers to

safeguard theiremployees bypromoting safedriving practices.

Employees are increasingly confrontingcongested roadways and experiencing theassociated anxiety, stress, fatigue anddistractions whether they are driving forwork or to and from work. Campaign toolkits are available from NETS.http://www.netsnational.orgIn addition, employers may participate inthe Drive Safely Work Week Poll.www.flyingcolorsinteractive.com/nets/survey.htm

Child & Youth InjuryPrevention Conference

A national authority on injury preven-tion will be the keynote speaker at theIowa Child and Youth Injury PreventionConference in September. Dr. ChristineBranche, director of the Division forUnintentional Injury, National Center forInjury Prevention and Control, Centersfor Disease Control will speak at the one-day conference September 19th, BlankChildren's Hospital in Des Moines.

An additional seminar featuring theConsumer Product Safety Commission isoffered the morning of September 20.

Organizers require preregistration andthe event is free. For information call515/241-6438

Iowa Conference onTraffic Safety

Mark your calendars on October 31and November 1 for the Iowa Conferenceon Traffic Safety. Highlights include:♦ New advances in weather and road

condition reporting♦ New safety education classroom and

in-car techniques♦ Crash analysis tools and training for

local users♦ Impact of new vehicle technology♦ Satellite mobile data communications♦ Graduated driver licensing update♦ Highway safety priorities for older

drivers.Registration for the conference is $75.

For registration information call SharonProchnow: 515/294-3781. For conferenceinformation call Tom McDonald: 515/294-6384.

The conference is jointly sponsored bythe Iowa Traffic Control and SafetyAssociation with the Iowa Association ofSafety Educators.

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Life Toll(lives saved by the belt

since July, 1986)

YTD 2002 168Grand Total 4,858

PUT THE BRAKES ON FATALITIES DAY

Imagine....A Day with ZeroTraffic Fatalities.

After a steady 20-year decline in thenumber of traffic fatalities, that numberhas stagnated at about 42,0000 deaths peryear. That is about 115 fatalities everyday, one fatality every 13 minutes.

America's roadway system is amongthe world's best. Through the develop-ment of safer vehicles and specializedsafety equipment, upgraded laws, betterroadways, and educational programs toaddress safe behaviors, we have come along way in reducing fatalities on ourroadways. But all of our progress in eachof these areas can bring us just so far.. Inthe end, each roadway user is the key tosafety.

On October 10, 2002Imagination CanBecome a Reality

Last year's campaign resulted in a 29percent reduction in fatalities onOctober 10, 2001, but that is only astarting point. On October 10, thesecond annual Put the Brakes onFatalities Day, we will ask everyone tofocus on their own individual behaviorwhen using the roadways as pedestri-ans, bicyclists and as we operatemotorcycles, cars and trucks and aspassengers. We want each person totake an extra measure of care to ensuretheir safety and the safety of others bysharing the road with other users in asafe manner.

Successful Events from2001

o Use the media to get the word outthrough news releases, public serviceannouncements, or op-ed pieces.

o Call on your local leaders andresources: schools, civic and commu-nity groups to organize an event

o Be creative! For ideas check out:www.brakesonfatalities.org.

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Statistics for the 37 special projecttroopers of the Iowa State Patrol showeach trooper averaged more than 15 OWIarrests and nearly 65 total alcohol con-tacts. If those numbers are projected overa 12-month period, the activity wouldtranslate into more than 60 OWI arrestsper trooper. The average number ofOWI arrests per trooper is ten per year,based on 2001 data.

While the special project troopers wereable to focus on high risk times such asnights and weekends, their overall activi-ties clearly had an impact. They repre-sent a very substantial effort.

In addition to the special enforcementefforts by the Iowa State Patrol, specialagents from the Division of CriminalInvestigation and the Division of Narcot-ics enforcement provided an additionalprogram component. Agents produced thefollowing activity:♦ 26 narcotics arrests♦ 90 bar checks♦ 211 underage purchase actions (92 buys, 119 failed buys).

Safety Education Officers of the IowaState Patrol conducted 364 alcohol-relatedpresentations reaching more than 19,000persons.

Very preliminary numbers from theDOT’s Fatal Analysis Reporting Systemindicate that alcohol-related fatalities inApril and May of 2002 could be signifi-cantly lower than comparable totals forApril and May of 2001. Thus far tenalcohol-related traffic deaths were re-ported for the two-month period ascompared with 25 for the same period oneyear ago. While this year’s number willlikely rise, there is a very good chance thedeath figure will end up well below thecomparable figure for 2001.

Special Alcohol Project...continued from page 1

An annual traffic safety checkpoint onU.S. Highway 18 west of MacGregor inClayton county was held on July 7. IowaState Patrol Sgt. Mike Gritton, said 640vehicles were checked, 39 citations, 139warnings and faulty equipment violationswere issued. In addition, four motorcarrier inspections were conducted oncommercial vehicles and two trucks wereplaced out of service.

Gritton said the event receivedextensive coverage from KWWL-TV,Waterloo.

July 7 was hot and humid and partici-pating officers were struggling to staycomfortable. Gritton described an incen-tive that kept their spirits up.

"ISP Post 10 was recently given 250bears from parishioners of St. John'sLutheran Church in Farmersburg, inhonor of Chaplain Bruce Hanson's 25years with the church. Post 10 has a“bear” giveaway program that distrib-utes the bears to children to ease thetrauma of an accident, assault, or an-other upsetting event.This was a “goal” we set for our-

selves: If we were still alive & not heatstroked out at car 450 and there is achild in the car who is belted, the kidis getting a “bear” as an expressionof thanks.Well, along came dad driving a

pickup-camper unit, drinking a beer,cost him $145 for an open containerviolation. But the little girl, abouteight years old, was belted. Mom anddad were good sports and agreed toaccept the bear and pose for a photo.It was a public relations thing, and acelebration for us, too, in that we wereall still standing at the end of thisthing."

Clayton County CheckpointHot but Rewarding

ParticipatingAgencies:

Clayton County SOElkader PDMonona PDMar-Mac PDIowa DNRIDOT MVEIowa State PatrolISP Communica-tions Division

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AmesTargeted TrafficEnforcement

Cpl. Geoff Huff, Ames PD, usesTraffic and Criminal Software(TraCS) to locate priority enforcementareas and then begins enforcement.Huff said he and two other officerstargeted an area in the spring that inthe past five years has seen 215crashes with 81 injuries and onefatality.In August Huff and three officerstargeted another high crash location ona busy arterial. Huff worked with localmedia to announce the traffic enforce-ment activities.

Traffic Enforcement in Iowa

Scott CountyI-74 Bridge

The Interstate-74 bridge linkingBettendorf, Iowa, and Moline, Ill, isIowa's busiest river crossing. It is an olderbridge that is narrow and imposing tomany drivers.

Sgt. Warren Beine, Bettendorf PD,organized traffic enforcement on bothsides of the Mississippi River to slow thetraffic down. In a six-hour enforcementeffort Bettendorf, Davenport and IDOTMotor Vehicle Enforcement officers mademore than 100 contacts.

On the Illinois side of the River,Moline PD, Rock Island County SO andthe Illinois State Patrol reported the firstviolator stopped (at 8 a.m.) was an im-paired driver.

Scott, Muscatine &Johnson CountiesIowa Highway 22

During a presentation at the GTSBconference in March, a speaker mentionedlow seat belt usage rates at two sites alongIowa Highway 22. Several agencies alongthe route were paying attention. Iowa 22runs from south of Interstate 80 in KeokukCounty through Washington, Muscatineand Scott counties.

A project combined the resources ofseveral agencies, most notably, DavenportPD, Scott County SO, Muscatine PD andMuscatine County SO and the WashingtonCounty SO.

The survey sites in Scott and Keokukcounties had been in the 64 to 66 percentrange but 2 weeks after the enforcementeffort, the seat belt use rate had climbed to81 percent.

Pottawattamie County

A combination of five checkpoints,saturation patrols and involvement in thestatewide Interstates 35 and 80 projecthighlighted an eight-day traffic safetyenforcement effort in PottawattamieCounty.

Sgt. Dan Flores, Council Bluffs PDTraffic Unit said the goal was to increasecompliance with traffic laws whilereducing motor vehicle fatalities andserious personal injuries. The results arestunning:o 5 OWI arrestso 355 seat belto 118 speedingo 29 No driver licenseo 23 Driving under suspensiono 42 RegistrationParticipating agencies included,

Pottawattamie County SO, Council BluffsPD, Carter Lake PD, Iowa DOT MotorVehicle Enforcement and the Iowa StatePatrol.

Does your agencyhave any interest-ing or unusualenforcementstories to share?Tell us aboutthem:gtsbinfo@dps.state.ia.us

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The Iowa Safety Management Systemheld Safe Mobility Decisions for OlderDrivers Forum in June this year to raisepublic awareness, identify key safetyimprovement strategies, and to developresources that help older drivers makesafer mobility decisions. The forum alsoprovided opportunities for older Iowans toshare their concerns and suggestionsregarding safe mobility with Iowa policymakers and service providers.

Nearly 200 Iowans, half of them seniorcitizens, gathered to discuss the sciencesof aging, driving, and roadway design

THE FACTSWith Iowa’s third-in-the-nation rankingfor its high percent-age of licensed driv-ers over age 65, weare a state that mustaddress highwaysafety for this fastestgrowing part of ourpopulation.

– Tom Welch, StateSafety Engineer

"Safe Mobility Decisionsfor Older Drivers" ForumJune 19-20, 2002

coupled with Iowa demographics, seniorservices, and crash statistics. Transporta-tion and senior-related professionals wereinvolved in dialogue with seniors, ad-dressing a range of factors and resourcesrelating to safe mobility decisions. A newvideo for older drivers and a decisionsresource book for drivers or those whocare about them are being developed as apart of this effort. A post forum reportwill provide a summary of what waslearned and what strategies Iowans hopeto see implemented to reduce the risk offatalities and injuries to our older drivers.

Art Linkletter, right, visits with J. Michael Laski, Director,GTSB, left, and Dr. Loren Muench, retired professor ofdriver education, Iowa State University.

Iowa 2000Older Driver Facts:

♦ 25% or more of the licenseddrivers in four Iowa counties areolder than age 65.♦ A 30% increase in the numberof Iowans over the age of 65 is ex-pected by the year 2020.♦ 89 people aged 65 or older werekilled in traffic crashes during 2001.♦ 20% of all Iowa traffic fatalityvictims were 65 or older.♦ 1,400 crash injuries were re-ported for drivers 65-74 in 2001.♦ 1,300 crash injuries were re-ported for drivers 75 and older.

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Local SMSGroups:

Dubuque County:10:30 a.m., Everysixth Friday. Contact:Lt. Scott Crabill563/589-4425.

Polk County:1:30 p.m., secondTuesday of eachmonth. Contact: CyQuick 515/225-2349.

Scott County:CARS): 10 a.m., thirdWednesday of eachmonth. Contact:Sgt. John Marxen563/326-8628.

PottawattamieCounty (SWIFT):Meetings vary. Checkwww.cbtraffic.netContact: BlakeRedfield712/328-4645.

Woodbury County:Second Thursday ofthe month. Contact:Scott Carlson:712/279-6397

Conference proceedings andthe Draft Resources for WiseChoices decisions guide areavailable at Iowa's StrategicHighway Safety Plan web site:www.IowaSMS.org

For other SMS information, contactMary Stahlhut,515/239-1169.E-mail:Mary.Stahlhut@dot.state.ia.us

THE OUTCOME

Public AwarenessSuccess

The Federal Highway Administrationsponsored the amazing 90-year old ArtLinkletter as a keynote speaker to drawattendance and the news media needed tohelp raise public awareness. Stories of Artencouraging seniors to “think about theirchoices and to give up the keys when itstime” were carried by AP and picked upon radio, in print, and on Internet newssites. The Governor’s Traffic SafetyBureau, (GTSB), the University of Iowa,and other SMS members and friends alsojoined in making this a successful event.

Older Driver Safety Plan

This forum is also part of a response tothe NHTSA recommendation that statesdevelop older driver-focused plans toaddress roadway infrastructure, drivercompetency, education, public transporta-tion services, vehicle design, and research.Iowa SMS is leading a multi-disciplinaryapproach that will involve all the “Es” ofhighway safety- Engineering, Enforce-ment, Education, Emergency Service andEveryone else in developing Iowa’s plan.

Seniors and others attending the forumlisted their top priorities and requests:

♦ Roadways: brighter signs andpavement markings, rumblestrips, and intersection enenhancements

♦ Drivers: ongoing education orenrichment programs, ways toself-assess driving capacitychanges, better understoodprocedures for limiting drivingof others.

♦ Services: access to safe mobil-ity decisions information,options, and resources

SMS & FHWA HostSafety in PlanningWorkshop

Metropolitan planning organizationsand regional planning associations areintegral and essential to highway safety.As part of a national effort to integrate theMPOs and RPAs into the greater highwaysafety community, Iowa's Safety Manage-ment System and the Iowa Division of theFederal Highway Administration will host

a two-day workshop. The goal of thesessions are to highlight the role of localmulti-disciplinary safety teams in bringinglaw enforcement, traffic engineers,emergency responders and planners to thetable to resolve issues and facilitategreater cooperation.

Dates for the event are to be deter-mined.

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PRSRT STDUS POSTAGE

PAIDDES MOINES IAPERMIT # 1195

Seat Belt Awards

Pella Hospital: 80%

Mid American Energy,Council Bluffs: 85%

Pella Hospital was awarded the GTSB/NHTSA 80 per-cent Safety Belt Honor Roll plaque. Pictured in the backrow are Charlie Black, Iowa Illinois Safety Council; DougHoutz, Jesse Duinink, Shawn Ealy, Bob Kroese, all ofPella Hospital. In front are Jodi Vanderhart, EducationCoordinator, and Denny Becker, GTSB.

Mid American Energy of Council Bluffs was awarded theGTSB/NHTSA 85 percent Safety Belt Honor Roll plaque.Pictured are Denny Becker, GTSB; Dale Lauver, DougJones and Scott Behrens, all of Mid American Energy;and Charlie Black, Iowa Illinois Safety Council.