The Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau is warning motorists about a plan to increase traffic enforcement efforts later this week through the Labor Day weekend. Randy Hunefeld is coordinator of the agency’s special Traffic Enforcement Program (sTEP).

“Our law enforcement partners across the state will be out there looking for traffic violations, as well as people who’ve had too much to drink,” Hunefeld says. The heightened enforcement effort on Iowa roads will run from August 23 (this Thursday) through September 5. Similar projects were conducted earlier this year.

“This (will be) our fourth enforcement wave and to date, there’s been over 92,500 traffic violations reported into our office,” Hunefeld said. The last sTEP project was between July 2-8. Over that week, Iowa law officers made contact with more than 15,600 motorists.

That included 295 contacts with alcohol and drug-impaired drivers. Hunefeld notes the increased patrols and focused enforcement means the odds of a drunk driver getting arrested greatly increase.