State officials are reporting there were fewer traffic fatalities in Iowa last year than anytime since 1944. David Stutz, with the Iowa Department of Transportation, credits a number of safety improvements made to highways and interstates.

“Engineers have designed rumble strips, paved shoulders and they’ve looked at the grade of roadways in terms of visibility. They’ve also installed cable barriers that keep vehicles from crossing over the interstate and having crashes on the opposite side,” Stutz said.

There were 364 fatalities on Iowa roadways in 2011, down from 390 the previous year. Stutz said many lives were saved last year because motorists were wearing a seat belt. Iowa has one of the highest seat belt usage rates in the country, but Stutz said there’s plenty of room for improvement.

“Of those 364 that lost their lives, 116 were not using their seat belts,” Stutz said. Other factors that may’ve contributed to the decline in traffic fatalities include new laws that prohibit texting while driving and aim to increase the skill sets of younger drivers.

Stutz notes there are more vehicles than ever traveling Iowa’s roads, but those vehicles are much safer than decades ago. “We went through that muscle car era in the 1960s and early 70s and we’ve kind of transcended out of that,” Stutz said. “Perhaps those big, high performance vehicles being driven too recklessly on the street is somewhat of the past now.”

This year, so far, has been a dangerous one on Iowa roadways. The D.O.T. reports there were 40 fatal crashes in January. That compares to just 19 fatalities in January 2011.

Two people are dead after their pickup truck crashed into a pond in rural Woodbury County early today. The Iowa State Patrol says the truck apparently went out of control and rolled several times near mile marker 25 on old Highway 141 between Smithland and Holy Springs.

The pickup landed on its top on the iced-over pond. The man and woman died in the accident. The Iowa State Patrol has identified the victims as 37-year-old Jaimie Anderson, and 25-year-old Jestaine Olsen, both of Sioux City.

By Woody Gottburg, KSCJ, Sioux City

A western Iowa man was killed in a car-truck crash in Crawford County on Tuesday morning near the town of Charter Oak. According to the Iowa State patrol accident report, 29-year-old Benjamin Randall Monk of Ute was killed when the 1989 Mazda he was driving rear-ended a 2001 Peterbuilt semi tractor trailer driven by 37-year-old Justin Hanson of Ute.

Hanson was eastbound on Highway 141 when he stopped to take a left turn into a farm drive and was waiting for traffic. The Monk vehicle failed to stop and struck the rear of the trailer. Monk was pronounced dead at the scene. Monk was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident.

By Michael Earl, KDSN, Denison