Law enforcement officials across Iowa have issued 6,300 distracted driving warnings since the new hands-free legislation signed into law by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, went into effect on July 1, Sgt. Alex Dinkla, public information officer for the Iowa State Patrol, said.
The new legislation prohibits drivers from holding electronic devices while behind the wheel.
Before the hands-free legislation, the distracted driving law, or Senate File 234, went into effect in 2017, and was the only law in Iowa restricting the use of cell phones while driving.
Brett Tjepkes, bureau chief of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau within the Iowa Department of Public Safety, said the previous law was hard to enforce because if the driver was using their phone for anything other than texting — such as scrolling social media, shopping online, or using the GPS — a citation could not be written.
The new hands-free law is in a warning period, or a time frame in which warnings are issued for first-time violations so the public can adjust to the new law, until Dec. 31, when officers can then start issuing citations. The Iowa City Police Department has issued 44 warnings from July 1 through Sept. 16.
“We would prefer to gain compliance through education rather than tickets and welcome the opportunity to let drivers know why this law is an important safety measure,” Lee Hermiston, public safety information officer for ICPD, said in a statement to The Daily Iowan.
Dinkla said law enforcement across the state hands out educational cards when a warning is issued to explain what constitutes a violation.
The new law does not allow a driver to hold their phone in any way. No typing, scrolling, or browsing on a cell phone is permitted. Not all interaction with devices is prohibited, as drivers can perform functions requiring a single touch, such as answering or making a call, as long as the phone is not being held.
Tjepkes said he is confident the law will help make Iowa’s roadways safer, and the legislation is both clear and easily enforceable.
“It’ll help [Iowans] make better decisions,” Tjepkes said. “They’ll be able to see speed limits, lane changes, and what other drivers are doing.”
Dinkla said though the legislation is not perfect, it is “a step in the right direction.”
“Ultimately, [law enforcement] wants to see the phone 100 percent out of the hand,” Dinkla said.
According to the University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center, Iowa saw 123 deaths and over 8,000 injuries caused by distracted driving from 2019 to 2023.
Tjepkes said bordering states, such as Minnesota and Illinois, saw immediate decreases in distracted driving crashes following the passage of its hands-free laws. There was a 31 percent decrease in Minnesota and a 22 percent decrease in Illinois in the years following the enactment of their respective laws.
“Hopefully we can see that in Iowa,” Tjepkes said. “We are off to a good start.”
Tjepkes referenced research from Cambridge Mobile Telematics, which reports a 10 percent reduction in distracted driving in Iowa is estimated to prevent 1,263 crashes, 708 injuries, six deaths, and $50 million in economic damages annually.
“The research shows it’s going to be effective,” Tjepkes said. “Every life and every person that’s still able to go home to their family, their friends, their loved ones, their community is worthwhile.”
Cambridge Mobile Telematics estimated in the month of July, distracted driving had fallen 3.9 percent, and the law helped prevent 20 crashes, 10 injuries, and almost $1 million dollars in economic damages across Iowa.
Dinkla said as of Oct. 2, Iowa has seen an 18 percent reduction in car crash fatalities from the same date last year, which he said is a testament the hands-free law is already making a difference.
Luke Hoffman, executive director at Iowa Bicycle Coalition, a nonprofit which advocates for safe and accessible biking, said the law demonstrates the “gold standard” of hands-free legislation.
The coalition has worked on getting hands-free legislation passed for roughly eight years, predating Hoffman’s two-year tenure as director. He said the End Distracted Driving Coalition, started in December 2024, advocated and helped get the legislation the final push needed to pass.
The End Distracted Driving Coalition is made up of interest groups from four sectors, defined by Hoffman as public safety, insurance, labor, businesses, and grassroots organizations, such as the Iowa Bicycle Coalition.
The legislation, based on Minnesota’s hands-free law passed in 2019, has higher fines for initial offenses, and a higher likelihood for a driver to be charged with vehicular manslaughter or another appropriate charge in the case someone is hit and killed by a distracted driver, Hoffman said.
“That was a key thing — making sure the bill had teeth so it would be effective,” Hoffman said.
State and local officials said the warning period provides ample time to educate the public on the new legislation and how it will be enforced.
Tjepkes said the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau has put over half a million dollars towards media campaigns about the law across the state. He said it has helped amplify the hands-free driving messaging to local cities and counties.
“We want to roll this out as thoughtfully as possible, so we can reach [people] and make the awareness as robust as possible,” Tjepkes said.
Tjepkes said the hands-free law shares many similarities with Iowa’s seatbelt law, Iowa Code Section 321.445, which went into effect in 1986 and requires drivers to wear a safety belt.
“Every year we saw improvements on people wearing their seatbelts,” Tjepkes said. “Now, most everybody in the state of Iowa does wear their seatbelt.”
According to the Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology, seatbelt usage in Iowa has steadily increased in the years since the law passed. In 2024, seatbelt usage was up to 94 percent, compared to 92.8 percent in 2014.
Sgt. Mike Darjania of the Coralville Police Department said he feels community members are catching on to the new law quickly and that educational efforts are working.