As of this Saturday, a motorist in Iowa can be pulled over if a police officer suspects the driver is paying attention to a SCREEN inside the vehicle rather than the road. Many new state laws take effect July 1st, including the new crackdown on “texting while driving.” Legislators, though, acknowledge it’ll be difficult for law enforcement to write tickets. The new law still lets people use an electronic device to talk or to navigate with some sort of G-P-S “app”. Representative Gary Worthan of Storm Lake says the law specifically prohibits police from seizing the phone without a warrant.
Senator Joe Bolkcom of Iowa City says the new law is just an “incremental” step.
Former Governor Terry Branstad and a coalition of safety advocates had urged legislators to pass a “hands-free” law instead. The ticket for motorists who ADMIT to texting, Snapchatting or even playing a game while driving is 30 dollars. Court fees will be tacked onto that. Data indicates “lane departures” are causing more accidents and officials suspect the trend is due to the use of smart phones.
