Before our so called “safety officials” make these big rig trucks slow to “safe and reasonable” speeds during adverse conditions, like ice and fog, we’re real dupes to believe we’re so safe in our nanny seat belts. No mention is made about whether or not the victims that were crashed into by those 80,000 pound machines were wearing seat belts, so we can assume they were wearing their seat belts and following Iowa’s seat belt laws.

Iowa always makes the dirty top five list of states in the U.S. for having an above average amount of its fatal car crashes where large trucks are involved. But you’ll never hear this fact from our elected officials that get campaign funding from big trucking companies. 

Blame should be put on those Republican initiated increased speed limits. No law enforcement department is enforcing any “safe and proper speed” during adverse conditions. Those large trucks can go the full speed limit on glaring ice or in fog so thick you can cut it in slices, but the law won’t do anything about that. 

Fatalities on Iowa rural interstates are running twice as high now with a 70 mph speed limit compared to 1974-86, when the speed limit was 55 mph with no seat belt laws in place during those earlier years. Some Republicans will try to increase those speed limits and fatalities even more.