(Des Moines) Drivers would be banned from holding a cell phone while behind the wheel under a bill in the Iowa Legislature. Traffic cameras would also be prohibited. Drivers could only use a phone while behind the wheel through a voice-activated or hands-free mode. The bill would also ban state or local governments from using traffic enforcement cameras to ticket drivers for speeding, running red lights, and other traffic law violations. The proposal also lets drivers use any electronic device if the car is parked and off the road.
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, use a 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.
