Iowa Law Enforcement sTEPs Up Patrol in Advance of St. Patrick’s Day

Law enforcement agencies across the state aren’t waiting until St. Patrick’s Day to crack down on impaired driving. 

The Iowa State Patrol and local law enforcement, including the Charles City Police Department and the Floyd and Chickasaw County Sheriff’s Offices, will be on the lookout for impaired driving during their special traffic enforcement program (sTEP) from March 11-19.

Trooper Tom Williams, with the Mason City District office of the Iowa State Patrol, says with taxis, Ubers and other rideshare programs, driving drunk, or even buzzed, doesn’t need to happen.

And if you think officers are limiting patrol efforts in light of higher gas prices, Williams says that’s not the case.

The Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau says that during the St. Patrick’s Day period of March 11-19 last year, 48 people were either seriously injured or killed in car crashes on Iowa roadways. Nationally, St. Patrick’s is one of the deadliest times on our nation’s roads.