By Dar Danielson (Radio Iowa)

Traffic deaths on Iowa roadways are down 32 compared to this day last year.

DOT director Scott Marler told the Transportation Commission during their meeting this week they are happy to continue to see the drop in traffic deaths. “We’re on a good trajectory, but I think you know us at the Department well enough to know we’re never satisfied with that,” he says.

There have been 191 traffic deaths so far this year. )”One fatality is one too many and until we get to zero, we’re not going to stop, we’re going to continue to push and do the things that are so vital to keeping Iowans safe,” Marler says.

Marler says he recently attended the Mid America Association of State Transportation officials conference where they signed a joint resolution to deploy safety technology across our region. He says the focus will be on work zones, commercial motor vehicles and traffic management. “Things like long-wait detection systems, and notifications. Technologies like these hold a lot of promise, a lot of potential to really help us go further with safety, and to save lives, quite literally save lives,” he says. “So we’re excited that as a as a region in the Midwest, we could join together in signing this safety technology resolution.”

The state is 43 fatalities behind the average number of traffic deaths for this date from 2020 through 2024.