(Des Moines) Lawmakers in an Iowa House subcommittee unanimously advanced legislation Tuesday allowing drivers to use only handsfree devices behind the wheel after more than a dozen lobbyists and members of the public endorsed the measure.
Law enforcement representatives said House Study Bill 64 could save thousands of lives on Iowa roads. A representative of the Iowa State Patrol told lawmakers that Minnesota saw a 31% reduction in vehicle accidents after enacting a hands-free law, and Illinois saw a 22% drop. If Iowa, with its 56,000 crashes a year, saw a 20% drop from a reduction in distracted driving, there would be more than 11,000 fewer accidents, according to the Patrol.
“We know every day in this country, nine people are killed by distracted drivers, over 1,000 injured. This bill will help drive that down. That’s what we’re looking for,” Major Troy Bailey of the Iowa State Patrol said.
Iowa currently bans texting behind the wheel but allows drivers to handle cellphones for other purposes, such as calling or navigation. Police have long complained the law is difficult to enforce.
Several people who had lost loved ones in vehicle accidents due to distracted driving pleaded with lawmakers to move the bill forward. Kristi Castenson fought back tears as she said she’s been lobbying for such a law for years after losing her husband and mother-in-law in a crash caused by a driver who was texting behind the wheel. “This is not someone I want anyone to go through, but in a blink of an eye, my family, our lives were changed because of one careless act,” she said.
Rep. Brent Siegrist, R-Council Bluffs, was among lawmakers who voted to advance the bill to the House Transportation Committee, but he noted the bigger obstacle is the full House.
“The fact of matter is, we’ve passed this bill out of committee twice, and it’s time to debate it on the floor and pass it, period,” he said.
The Senate, which has approved the handsfree legislation in past years, advanced a companion bill out of subcommittee last week.
