The busiest travel time of the year in the United States happens next week, during the Thanksgiving holiday and authorities are reminding motorists to be safe. So far this year, 274 people have died in car accidents in Iowa. Last year, during the Thanksgiving holiday there were three traffic fatalities in Iowa.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety states wearing a seat belt is the single most effective way to prevent injury or death in a crash. When wearing a seatbelt the risk of a fatal injury in a passenger car drops by 45 percent and 60 percent in a light truck.