DES MOINES, Iowa — As traffic patterns across the state change next week when students go back to school, officials with the Iowa Department of Transportation are warning that car crashes will happen.

Data from the DOT shows that since 2020, drivers between the ages of 14 and 19 have been involved in over 65,815 car crashes, resulting in 300 fatalities.

Starting next week, more inexperienced drivers will be on the roads as students head back to school.

“Especially the first few months of new drivers out there, and we see this every year, we’re going to have crashes. We’re going to have property damage crashes, all the way up to fatalities across the state,” said Larry Grant, the department’s state safety planner.

The data indicates that Des Moines Public School students make up the largest number of crashes per school district in the state, with 8.48 percent. The Ankeny, Ames, and West Des Moines school districts are all in the top ten with under three percent each.

There is an increase in youth motorist crashes around 7 a.m. as students are traveling to school, but the overwhelming peak is at 3 p.m. as students are leaving school.

“It could be a property damage crash where they’re just backing into someone, or it could be more serious. That’s when we also see that everybody’s in a hurry to leave school, and those speeds pick up,” said Grant.

January is the peak month for crashes with teen drivers because weather conditions, like snow and ice, can play a role.

Most of the crashes are rear-ended, and the data also indicates that the major cause of teen crashes is following too closely.

Grant said a data point that stands out to him is that the gender gap is closer in young motorist crashes. Across all demographics, males are involved in a majority of crashes, but in the youth data, crashes involving female drivers are closer to the male majority than in other demographics.

An issue during this time of year is uncontrolled intersections in rural areas where crops may limit visibility.

These are intersections typically on gravel roads where there aren’t stop signs, and tall corn can block the drivers’ views. There are tens of thousands of uncontrolled intersections in the state, according to the DOT.

Earlier this month, one person was killed and two others were injured after a crash at an uncontrolled intersection in Boone County. Officials said tall corn impaired both drivers’ view.

The crash occurred at the intersection of I Avenue and 280th Street, south of Ogden in Boone County on August 9th. Boone County officials told WHO 13 News that approximately 50 vehicles traverse that intersection daily.

When asked about potentially adding street signs in this intersection as a result of the fatal crash, Boone County Engineer Jonathan Bullock provided the following statement to WHO 13 News:

“Every crash is reviewed for any improvements that could potentially be made that align with applicable transportation standards and guidelines. In the case of low-volume, uncontrolled intersections, a study conducted by Iowa State University’s Center for Transportation Research and Education found ‘no statistical difference in the safety performance of ultra-low-volume, stop controlled and uncontrolled intersections.’ Quantifying low-volume in terms of < 150 vehicles per day. A majority of the traffic which utilize many of these intersections every day, is local traffic familiar with which intersections are controlled and which are not. Over regulating traffic could result in a negative effect of motorists ignoring or missing critical signage leading to potentially more crashes.”

Jonathan Bullock, Boone County Engineer

While those drivers weren’t young motorists, officials are still warning teens to be extra cautious as they head back to school.

“The person on the right always has the right of way, but if you’re traveling at a high rate of speed, there’s no way you’re going to stop at a gravel intersection in time without having a crash, so it’s highly important to be paying attention,” said Grant. 

He also wants to remind teen drivers to limit their distractions inside their vehicles. This includes things like not using a cell phone while operating a vehicle and avoiding talking to other occupants in the car.

Grant said the safest form of transportation for students is the school bus. He urges all drivers to anticipate seeing school buses more often and to remember to start stopping when the bus flashes yellow lights and to fully stop when red lights are flashed.