Drivers who text endanger all road users and pedestrians.
In 2010, Iowa made it a crime to write, read or send a text message while driving. However, Iowa’s texting while driving law is a secondary offense, meaning a driver can only be cited if they are stopped for another violation, such as a broken tail light or speeding. Police say that makes Iowa’s texting while driving law difficult to enforce.
A new bipartisan proposal (SSB 3191) would make texting while driving a primary offense, giving officers the authority to pull over a driver specifically for texting. Why do we need to take this step? Research shows that texting is the most dangerous form of driver distraction because it takes our mind off driving, our eyes off the road and at least one hand off the steering wheel.
National Occupant Protection Use Survey show that, at any given daylight moment across America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving. And at least 28 percent of vehicle crashes are caused by texting and cell phone use, according to the National Safety Council.
Teens have been the focus of most distracted driving outreach and laws. Texting results in car crashes that kill an average of 11 teens each day. However, they aren’t the only ones practicing this dangerous behavior. A recent report from AAA indicates that drivers between the ages of 25 and 39 are the most distracted by their cellphones.
Mick Mulhern of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau travels the state to talk with Iowa teens about the dangers of distracted driving. He’s learned that parents don’t always set the best example. When he asks students if their parents text while driving, half the hands in the room go up.