(Des Moines) Using your phone while driving could be illegal soon. Texting and driving is already banned in Iowa, but the Iowa Senate passed a proposal on Wednesday that would expand the law to using any electronic device, with one exception. Voice-activated or hands-free features would still be allowed.
Iowa State Patrol Trooper and District #4 Public Information Officer Shelby McCreedy says in 2022 in Iowa, there were 9,192 crashes involving distraction. Additionally, in 2021 there were 30 fatalities due to distracted driving.
Trooper McCreedy says there are 24 states across the nation that are hands-free; thirty-six states, including Iowa, ban teenagers from using cell phones; 47 states have cell phone laws in place, and the states that do not are Arizona, Missouri, and Montana.
McCreedy says the current law in Iowa states drivers 18 years of age and older can hold a cell phone in hand and talk on it, one-touch dial, hang up, and use it as a navigation device. She says the legislation is proposed to go further and make Iowa a hands-free state.
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