After wrapping up 2025 with the lowest number of traffic fatalities ever recorded, the Iowa DOT is working to carry that momentum through 2026. It’s still early, but the numbers so far suggest Iowa is on track to meet a shared goal of keeping more travelers safe and alive on the road. And we’re not doing it alone – we’re teaming up with partners across the state and doubling down on the engineering and traffic safety strategies that contributed to last year’s historical year.
Over the last five years, (2021-2025) an average of 337 people died in statewide crashes annually. In 2025, for the first time in 100 years, not only did Iowa see fewer than 300 traffic fatalities on public roadways, but the final number was the lowest ever on record for Iowa with 260 lives lost. Compared to 2024, that’s 97 fewer fatalities – a remarkable 27% reduction in just one year.
But what matters so much more is what these numbers represent. It’s 97 more parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, friends, coworkers, and neighbors still here to share life’s milestones.
Can we keep this trend going? We sure hope so, but that’s the big question right now. Despite the outstanding year in our rearview mirror, 2026 didn’t kick off to the same great start. A total of 24 precious lives were lost on Iowa roads in January – seven more souls than last year at that time. Whether it was speed, distractions, impairment, seat belt denial, severe weather, or rare and isolated incidents, fatalities were on an alarmingly fast track. Heading into mid-March, we’re currently tracking slightly above 2025 fatalities.
This is why traffic safety work matters. It’s not about statistics – it’s about people – and the work to keep more Iowans alive is our top priority.
Innovation at every level and partnerships for progress
Even with 2025’s historic decline, one fatality is one too many. Every crash leaves families, workplaces, and communities forever changed. That’s why Iowa continues to look for ways to move the needle farther.
This includes increased roadway safety through policy changes like the new Hands-Free Law that was fully enacted on January 1, 2026. Our partners at the Iowa State Patrol and Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau have shared that it’s already helping reduce distracted driving. The Patrol cited more than 11,200 drivers for violations during the preceding six-month warning period. In January alone, officers issued 888 warnings and cited 1,141 individuals for violations of the law.
Sergeant Alex Dinkla says the law was a collective effort that is resulting in more drivers adjusting their habits, and he thinks the potential for even greater safety gains is enormous.
“It wasn’t one person or one department that got the legislation over the finish line. It was many citizens sharing their unfortunate texting and driving experiences, and it was the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, cities, counties, organizations, and the Governor herself who all championed the policy changes,” Dinkla says adding, “The previous law had a lot of gray in it – people and law enforcement were confused. The new law strips the gray out, and as we look back, we can say it’s already been a huge success in making roads safer and we want to continue that success going forward.”
DOT Safety Planner Larry Grant says efforts like the DOT’s evolving safety portfolio also play a role in fatality reduction with a forward-looking approach that uses data, experience, innovation, and collaboration to focus on what works and scale it statewide. “We’re always looking at safer roads, safer vehicles, and safer people,” Grant says.
What’s especially encouraging to Grant is how the DOT’s core value of “Safety First” is a mindset that’s driving new roadway designs and emerging technologies, as well as stronger partnerships with local agencies and regional leaders who share our transportation commitment. “We’re trying to make state roads safer whether it’s roundabouts and diverging diamonds, but we’re also looking at very basic features like enhancing lane markings so that they’re more visible to drivers and to vehicle technologies that need to see them,” Grant added.
Turning problems into solutions
Progress in road engineering and design doesn’t happen by chance. Grant points out that trends in crash fatalities can be traced a wide variety of factors, not just a single aspect. At the DOT, our willingness to rethink how our roadways work is one of the factors contributing to reduced deaths. Here are just a few of the ways you can see the DOT’s safety improvements across the state:
- Rumble strips and enhanced lane markings that help drivers stay alert and on course. The top cause of fatalities in Iowa is lane departures. Two engineering improvements are helping to prevent vehicles from running off the roadway.
- Generally installed in rural areas, features like shoulder, centerline, and in-lane rumble strips provide an audible alert for drivers ahead of stop signs or when drivers drift out of their lanes. Over the past 15 years, we have added shoulder rumble strips during resurfacing and new paving projects. From July 2024 to December 2025, the percentage of centerline rumble strips increased from 56% to 91% alone on rural two-lane DOT-maintained state highways.
- We’re also adopting six-inch wide lines as the state standard for interstates and primary highways. This expands the current markings by two inches in new installations to improve visibility and detection in vehicle automation and lane-assist technologies.
Safer work zones, strengthened through close coordination with partners to protect both drivers and road crews. We're proud to work with the Iowa State Patrol to watch driving behaviors that risk worker and motorist safety. A year-long central Iowa enforcement initiative on I-80 and I-35 from January 1-December 31, 2025, resulted in 6,971 total citations – including 4,388 speed citations – and the arrests of three impaired drivers.
- Modern intersection designs dramatically cut down on severe crashes.
- Roundabouts – This design is an alternative to intersections that reduce the 32 conflict points in a typical intersection to only eight conflict points in a single-lane roundabout. Data shows that their use results in a 40% reduction in all crashes and an 80% reduction in serious crashes.
- 4- to 3- Lane Conversions – This road-diet design involves restriping a four-lane road as a three-lane road. One lane is provided in each direction with a dedicated left turn lane down the center. The primary safety benefit of this design is an overall reduction of crashes by approximately 50%.
- Diverging Diamond Interchanges – This innovative interchange moves traffic to the opposite side of the crossroad between two ramp intersections. DDIs improve safety, especially in busy areas, and help traffic move more smoothly.
- Reduced-Conflict Intersections – These intersections reduce the number of points where vehicles can inadvertently come into contact with other vehicles. A typical four-lane divided highway intersection has 42 possible vehicle conflict points, while reduced-conflict intersections have as few as 24.
Speed Feedback Signs – A speed feedback sign measures the speed of approaching vehicles and displays the speed on a digital sign. Installing these systems slows traffic through town and improves safety for vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists.
The Alive at 25 program can help young drivers build safer habits early. The Motor Vehicle Division launched this new national driver safety initiative with a four-hour course for young drivers who receive a second violation on their intermediate license. This is a one-time opportunity for those drivers to complete a driver safety education program through the Iowa Illinois Safety Council instead of serving a license suspension.
Targeted outreach on ATV and off-road vehicle use, in partnership with the DOT, Department of Public Safety and Department of Natural Resources. The use of these vehicles gained new traction in 2022 when Iowa law changes allowed operation on public roads, but the explosive growth of these vehicles resulted in more fatalities. Our collaboration created resources to educate Iowans about riding safely and legally on public roads and streets. In 2021, prior to the legislative change, there were four fatalities. After enactment, fatalities tripled in 2022 and 2023 to 12, and another 20 deaths in 2024. Following a diverse educational messaging effort in 2025, fatalities on public roadways dropped to 10.
- Rapid emergency response and operations during winter storms and natural disasters, when safety risks are at their highest. Along with Iowa State Patrol, we took decisive action to close a portion of I-80 in eastern Iowa on December 13 for approximately seven hours, and I-35 north from Ames to the Minnesota border December 28-29 for approximately 24 hours due to blizzard conditions that significantly impacted these roadways.
Always moving forward – the best is yet to come
In traffic safety, we’re continually making progress, but we also have setbacks – sometimes one step forward and two steps back. One of the major steps forward in 2025 that contributed to the historic fatality reduction was in the area of multiple fatalities in crashes. Last year, there were 12 particular crashes that resulted in 24 fatalities, compared to a few years ago when there were 39 specific crashes that killed 84 people.
But there are slides back to old-school, unsafe behaviors. Despite 40 years of mandatory seat belt usage, more than 50% of all fatalities in 2025 were not wearing seat belts. There’s more work to do.
As we continue to build and strengthen efforts to tackle real-world challenges with practical solutions that save lives, this past year proved something powerful: change is possible. When engineers, educators, first responders, policymakers, and communities work together, lives can be saved.
And that’s a goal every Iowan and visitor to our stay can play a role in reaching.