Axios Des Moines: Traffic fatalities have steadily risen in Iowa since 2020 and preliminary estimates from the first quarter of 2022 show they’re not slowing down. Around 69 Iowans died in car accidents during the first quarter of this year, a roughly 44% jump compared with 48 in 2021, according to a new report by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Half of the people who drove more during the pandemic said they were speeding on residential roads and texting, an AAA study found, while nearly half reported running red lights and changing lanes aggressively. Iowans have been driving at “egregious speeds” since 2020, said a spokesperson for the Iowa State Patrol.