To raise awareness about the dangers of speeding, The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Region 7, which includes the state of Iowa, is participating in a Speed Enforcement Campaign.

Titled Speeding Slows You Down, the campaign will have law enforcement on the lookout for speeding drivers through July 31. In Iowa, roughly half of all vehicular deaths were caused by speeding from 2013-2021. That number increased to 59% in 2022. Statewide, approximately 300 people die in car accidents every year.

While speaking with KCII this summer, Henry County Sheriff, Rich McNamee, commented on the issue of speeding in his area, as well as the country. “Highway 218 in the south end of Henry County has been labeled by the State and Federal Government as a dangerous piece of roadway. The crash ratings south of Mt. Pleasant into Lee County have reached a higher level. So [to] our motoring public, we just want to remind them to obey the laws. Speed is still the number one cause of accidents or crashes in the United States. So we’re gonna do some extra enforcement in the south end of our county along Highway 218 and try and thwart some of those problems that we got down there.”

NHTSA’s Region 7 also includes Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.