It would be illegal to use a hand-held cellphone while driving if a bill proposed by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau becomes law in Iowa. Texting while driving would also become a primary offense, meaning an officer would be able to pull someone over if they suspect the driver is texting. Patrick Hoye, the former head of the Iowa State Patrol, is now chief of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, and says cell phone use while driving — to either talk or text — is just as bad as drunk driving because not only does it take one hand off the wheel, it takes the driver’s attention away from the road.
The distraction of smart phones has become an “epidemic” on Iowa’s roads, according to Hoye. He cites 2013 stats showing 63 percent of the fatality crashes on Iowa roads involved a vehicle that had left its lane.
Fourteen other states have laws which forbid drivers to use their hands to text or hold their phone to talk. The Iowa law that’s been proposed by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau would impose a 30-dollar fine for texting or talking on a cell phone while driving and it is similar to the law that’s been in effect in Illinois for over a year.
