The Memorial Day weekend is recognized as the start of the summer vacation season and Iowa State Patrol Trooper Vince Kurtz is pleading with motorists to put their phones away and focus on the road.

Distracted driving is blamed in large part for the more than 400 traffic fatalities in Iowa last year – up from 320 the previous year
Iowa law enforcement officers, through the holiday weekend, will be watching for motorists who aren’t buckled-up. Kurtz says seat belts are proven to save lives.

AAA (Triple-A) Iowa has predicted this will be the busiest Memorial Day weekend for travel in the state in more than a decade.