DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) -- Iowa officers said they’re concerned about more deaths on the road after the U.S. Department of Transportation released its statistics on deadly motor vehicle crashes.
Among the most common causes of these crashes are human choices, or things we can control as drivers, such as speeding, driving while intoxicated and distracted driving.
In Iowa, there was a 26 percent increase in fatal crashes this past year, the fourth-highest in the country. Many officers agree that there could be an increase in fatalities because of drivers being distracted.
“The things like putting driving first has gotten thrown to the wayside,” Iowa State Patrol Trooper Bob Conrad said. “We don’t pay attention to our driving because we can multitask, which is great in an office setting but not on a roadway.”
In 2016, there were more than 37,000 motor vehicle-involved deaths nationwide.