Iowa sees deadliest year on roads since 2016

There have been 364 traffic fatalities in Iowa as of Friday, authorities said, marking 2023 as the deadliest year on the state's roads since 2016, when there were 402 deaths.

Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Alex Dinkla said the increase in fatalities in recent years could stem from a combination of factors. One that stood out to him, however, was an increase in distracted driving cases, which likely led to an increase in intersection crashes and lane departures.

“Why are these drivers leaving their lane ... and either crossing the center line and hitting a car head on, or they're going across the fog line (white solid line) to the right, and either going down to the ditch or over-correcting and then crashing their vehicle?” Dinkla said.

Aside from distracted driving, Dinkla said both the Iowa State Patrol and the Iowa Department of Transportation have identified some roadways in Iowa as high-volume and have launched safety corridor projects to help mitigate the increased risks that come with more drivers on the road.

“It's an alarming mark for the Iowa State Patrol and the Iowa Department of Transportation,” Dinkla said. “We have seen this number surpass our five year high.”

Within Des Moines city limits, Sgt. Paul Parizek of the Des Moines Police Department said there have been 18 traffic fatalities in 2023 as of Friday.

Dinkla said it is difficult to attribute the rise in fatal crashes specifically to distracted drivers, who may be using their cellphones on the road, because current laws don’t empower DMPD to seize and investigate the phones of drivers involved in minor crashes.

“Some law enforcement hands are tied with looking into why some of these crashes are happening, as far as was a cellphone being used,” Dinkla said.

More: Why a ban on hands-on phone use while driving may finally have a chance of passing in Iowa

Lawmakers and community members alike have been advocating for a ban on hands-on phone use while driving, which Dinkla said would help crack down on distracted driving.

“Currently, there is law on if there is a fatality crash — only a fatality crash — law enforcement is able to go back and get a subpoena for cellphone records on those devices,” Dinkla said. "But anything below that, law enforcement does not have the ability [to get a subpoena]."

Dinkla said there has also been an increase in drivers operating vehicles under the influence of drugs.

“We are going to be advocating again with this upcoming (legislative) session for hands-free legislation, because we ultimately know at the Iowa State Patrol that many crashes have been caused due to distracted drivers and people being on their cellphones.”

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa sees deadliest year on roads since 2016