With Thanksgiving just a few days away, law enforcement agencies statewide have started their Special Traffic Enforcement Program, or STEP, today. Lu Simpson, spokeswoman for the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, says at least 135 law agencies statewide are joining in the weeklong STEP.Last Thanksgiving, three people died on Iowa roads during the holiday weekend, while eight died during Thanksgiving weekend of 1999. The Iowa D-O-T says over the last decade, Iowa’s averaged six deaths every Thanksgiving. Simpson says if more people wore their seatbelts, far fewer would be getting killed.About 78-percent of Iowans use their seat belts. The national average is 73-percent. Of the three deaths on Iowa roads last Thanksgiving weekend, the Highway Patrol says two of the accidents were alcohol-related.
