AMES (SPECIAL) – A combination of winter weather, drinking drivers and other factors have proven deadly on Iowa highways during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Over the last decade, traffic fatality data shows the Thanksgiving holiday (Wednesday noon to midnight Sunday) as having the highest number of highway fatalities of the six different holiday periods tracked by the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT).

Last year, 10 people were killed in traffic crashes over the extended weekend, three of those fatalities involved crashes with drinking drivers. Scott Falb of the Iowa DOT’s Office of Driver Services says, “Drinking and driving is a deadly combination. Because these drivers lacked the judgment to hand the keys to someone else or just stay put, there are many families who will forever be changed not because of happy Thanksgiving memories but of tragic ones.”

There are several steps people can take to make the roads safer throughout the holiday season.

·Do not drink and drive. If you are attending an event where alcohol is served, designate a nondrinking driver to drive home from the party and stick with that decision.

·Ensure that everyone in the vehicle is wearing a seat belt – all positions, all ages.

·Do not follow too closely behind another vehicle, especially in heavier traffic or when you are traveling at higher speeds.

·Obey posted speed limits, and slow down if your vision is limited by heavy rain, fog or snow.

·Plan your trip keeping weather-related travel conditions in mind. Listen to forecasts and check road conditions by visiting 511ia.org or calling 511.

· Avoid traveling during peak traffic periods, including Wednesday evening, Thursday morning, and Sunday afternoon and evening.

Falb says, “Focusing solely on the task of driving when ‘behind the wheel’ is the easiest way to improve safety. There is no such thing as a traffic ‘accident.’ Most crashes are preventable. What each driver needs to do is pay close attention to the driving task and use common sense.”

To see a list of holiday fatality numbers dating back to 1962, log on to http://www.iowadot.gov/mvd/ods/holidayfatalities.pdf