Yesterday in Des Moines, Iowa with the the Interstate 80 Challenge was offically launched.

The I-80 Challenge is a multi-state awareness and high-visibility enforcement effort to encourage all drivers to drive safely on the Interstate 80 corridor and to support the efforts of the law enforcement officers. The challenge runs from July 24 to July 31.

The Interstate 80 Challenge high visibility enforcement uses the slogan, "More cops. More stops," and encompasses more than the State Police and Highway Patrol agencies that typically work along the I-80 corridor.  The challenge is also supported by local officers and deputies conducting highly visible traffic enforcement along the secondary roads in communities near this busy interstate.

Interstate 80 runs 2,900 miles from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey – nearly the width of the U.S. This very busy corridor serves as a major travel route for millions of Americans each year. 

In 2011, on I-80, 78 people were killed and 1,202 seriously injured as a result of crashes involving large truck and buses.

Crashes involving a truck or bus in a state that I-80 runs through account for 32% of all Commercial Motor Vehicle related fatalities and serious injuries.

Five of the 11 states that have Interstate 80 passing through it –California, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania– have the most deaths of any state due to large truck crashes.

This month – July – is one of the months with the highest traffic fatalities because of the increased number of people traveling, according to the Department of Transportation's Flast Lane blog.