16 states have teamed up for a 3-day traffic safety initiative which will take place on Interstate 80 and the Interstate 35 starting this Friday.
The enforcement blitz has been called the I-80/I-35 Challenge, after the Iowa State Patrol challenged the other states in which the two Interstate pass through to join the initiative. Every state accepted the challenge, and the enforcement spree will span the entirety of I-35 and I-80.
ISP spokesman Michael Van Berkum said the goal of the challenge is to increase safety on the road during one of the most dangerous driving months. He told WHO-TV News, “We’ll be using all of our radar systems and the lidar systems, the aircraft, stop watches and we’ll be offering some overtime to some of our officers, but we’ll be running more projects out there but also just having officers patrol the interstate systems to slow people down”
Troopers will be placing an extra emphasis on catching distracted drivers.
“Yes, there will be tickets involved, warnings involved and stopping people that are distracted, letting them know that, ‘hey, there’s more important things than texting while you’re driving,” Berkum added
The other states involved will be following similar protocol during the campaign, which will last from August 28th until August 31st.
Interstate 80 stretches across 11 states, from California to New Jersey. Interstate 35 goes through six states, from Texas to Minnesota.