(Denison) The grace period is over for the new “Hands-Free” law, and violators are starting to pay fines. The law prohibits drivers from using electronic devices while driving unless the device is in a hands-free setting. The law, effective July 1, 2025, aims to reduce distracted driving and traffic crashes.
Iowa State Patrol Trooper and District #4 Public Information Officer Shelby McCreedy says that from the beginning of the six-month warning period, which ran from July 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025, the number of warnings decreased, indicating that drivers were complying and learning to adapt to the law. However, there is still a lot of progress to be made moving forward. McCreedy notes that in December alone, law enforcement issued 1,676 warnings across the state. In total, during the six-month warning period, law enforcement executed 11,237 warnings.
McCreedy says on January 1, 46 citations were issued to drivers violating the hands-free law. People often ask law enforcement how they see people driving without a seatbelt or using their phones
. Trooper McCreedy says that for people who think this will be a complex law to enforce, she says it is not; drivers’ actions make it easy to implement.
