JOHNSON COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – State police say Iowa’s current laws on texting while driving are difficult to enforce. The law prohibits texting while driving, but allows people to use their phones for other purposes.
A state patrol officer believes a completely hands-free law would make it easier to hold inattentive drivers accountable.
He says it’s almost impossible to prove that someone was just texting while driving if they’re caught talking on the phone while driving.
“When we stop someone and go to the window and ask them what they were doing on the phone, we are basically demanding that they tell us the truth, but that doesn’t always happen,” said Trooper Bob Conrad of the Iowa State Patrol.
A Washington man was sentenced to probation on Monday after he killed a woman in a careless driving accident. At the sentencing, the victim’s mother said something must change.
Drake Brezina was sentenced to probation for the death of Kristina Pearson in 2023.
Court documents show that Brezina was talking on his cellphone when he ran a red light and struck Pearson’s car at 70 km/h.
“Stronger measures are needed to change behavior, because education alone has proven less effective,” said Judith Collora, Kristina Pearson’s mother.
Collora said a fine for texting while driving is not enough to deter offenders from doing the crime.
“Anyone can raise money, but if their license is taken away and they are not allowed to drive, that will be remembered,” Collora said.
Current Iowa state law allows the use of cell phones in cars for making phone calls and using GPS.
“We pushed for a hands-free law in the state of Iowa, and we did it solely to save lives. When you consider what hands-free would mean, what it could do, we can enforce the law. Right now, it’s pretty difficult to enforce the law in its current form,” said Trooper Conrad.
Current law requires drivers who are stopped for distracted driving to honestly report what they were doing with their phone, but this does not always happen.
“We’ve really gotten used to having a phone in our hand. We’ve gotten to the point where we almost consider it so important that we don’t put it down in the car. That’s a very dangerous attitude,” said Trooper Conrad.
Earlier this year, a bill that would have banned drivers from using cell phones and using traffic cameras failed in the state Senate.
“We’re just asking lawmakers to make the right decisions. We see people killing and hurting other people in these cases, and sometimes the law just doesn’t work to make sure they’re held accountable,” Trooper Conrad said.
In sentencing on Monday, the judge said Brezina had been reckless and had changed lives forever, but that he had no previous convictions and had shown sincere remorse for his actions.
TV9 has reached out to Iowa lawmakers for comment on the future of a hands-free law.
Democratic Senator Claire Celsi told TV9: “Inattentive driving has led to preventable accidents and tragedies across Iowa,” Senator Celsi said. “I sincerely hope that lawmakers will finally heed the calls of police and families of those killed by inattentive drivers and pass a hands-free device law.”
We also contacted Republican Senator Brad Zaun, who is the one who brought the issue of hands-free devices and traffic cameras together in a bill.
We have not received an answer.
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