With a count of 51 deaths, June had the highest number of traffic fatalities in Iowa for any month since 1988, the Iowa Department of Transportation reported.

June 1995 had 14 more deaths than June 1994. Scott Falb, fatal accident reporting system administrator of the DOT, said this count is not yet complete because some accidents have not yet been officially reported.

Falb said right now July has had fewer traffic fatalities than last year. He said it is difficult to predict whether the entire year of 1995 will be higher than average in traffic fatalities because the rates have not been consistent this year.

“Right now we are 11 up for the year, but it depends on what period you look at. In February we were 10 over, in June we were 14 over. But in April and May we were 10 and seven under,” Falb said.

Falb said he “can’t get too good of a handle” on the factors influencing fatalities, “but weather seems to have been a factor.”

Falb explained, “When we’ve had a lot of bad weather, with strong rains or heat, we have had less accidents.”

Bad weather seems to sharpen driver’s awareness and driving skills, he said.

The leading cause of fatal accidents this summer has been drivers who lose vehicle control, driving off the road or drifting over the center line and colliding head on with other vehicles, Falb said. He said this is probably primarily due to driver inattention.

Falb said many victims are drivers on country roads crossing intersections of state or county highways without stopping.

“The rural areas are where people are killing themselves,” Falb said. “That’s not to say people aren’t in accidents in urban areas, but these are not creating fatalities.”

He said the rural areas are “an invitation to be inattentive.”

Falb said only between 27 to 28 percent of those in fatal accidents were using seat belts. Surveys show a 70 percent use rate in the general public.

“This is telling me seat belts are preventing fatal accidents,” Falb said. “And it’s telling me the same sort of behaviors and attributes that lead people not to buckle up lead them to be inattentive. They are more likely risk takers who will also take risks by speeding, taking stop signs lightly and running stop lights.”

Falb said the factors contributing to deaths this summer were not unusual.

“We had a lot of single vehicles, late nights, rural areas, drinking young people and elderly drivers,” Falb said. “Year in and year out, these are usually the major factors.”