It’s still a week before the Labor Day weekend begins, but state officialsare already warning people to drive with care and buckle up. The upcoming holiday is the 4th deadliest weekend of the year on Iowa roads.Nearly 300 people have been killed statewide in crashes so far this year.That’s more than three-dozen deaths ABOVE the death toll from a year ago.State D-O-T traffic safety specialist Scott Falb says cheaper gas prices areallowing more people to hit the road. He says people are also buying largervehicles, like sport utility vehicles. Falb says people mistakenly thinkS-U-V’s are safer because they are bigger.The average number of fatalities for the Labor Day weekend is six. Thehighest number of fatalities for a holiday weekend in Iowa occurred in 1966when 27 people were killed on a Labor Day weekend.

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