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(Iowa) -- Traffic deaths in Iowa are on track to be the lowest in a century, as law enforcement step up Thanksgiving Holiday patrols.
Sergeant Alex Dinkla of the Iowa State Patrol says they're hoping there will be fewer than 300 fatal traffic accidents during 2025.
He's urging motorists to wear their seatbelts, don't speed and put their phones down to comply with Iowa's new hands-free law.
"That is a number that we have not seen in Iowa since 1925, " Dinkla said. "It just depends on a lot of different factors, It's a number we're watching very closely, both here and the DOT (Department of Transportation) to see if we are going to make that goal."
At last check, there had been 246 fatalities on Iowa roadways this year.
Fatal accidents in the state have dropped 20 percent since 2024.
Dinkla believes the state's new hands-free cell phone law is a contributing factor.