The month of June means Iowa State Patrol troopers will spend their Saturday nights working. Captain Curt Henderson oversees the “Safe Saturday” projects. The first one was held last weekend in the Des Moines, Spencer and Oelwein patrol districts.

Henderson says they typically put 15 to 20% more troopers on the road on the Saturday nights with the goal to raise their visibility on the roadways by making lots of stops. He says the impact has been a dramatic drop in accidents in those areas. The project lasts from six in the evening until two Sunday morning. He says this is the third year for the effort, and it has made driving in June safer.

Henderson says last year, they achieved a record low number of fatalities because of this type of effort. This Saturday, state troopers will focus their efforts on the Council Bluffs, Clear Lake and Mt. Pleasant patrol districts. He says they try to rotate the projects around the state, so the districts that border the project can provide support during the day.

Henderson says all the troopers in the participating districts are working the night shift. On June 18th,the Safe Saturday work will involve the districts of Osceola, Cedar Falls and Stockton. The final Safe Saturday patrol date for the Fort Dodge, Denison and Cedar Rapids patrol districts is June 25th.

By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City