The Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau is partnering with Iowa law enforcement agencies this week in a special enforcement campaign to address distracted driving.
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month in the state. According to authorities, more than nine-thousand crashes on Iowa roadways in 2022 were caused by distracted or inattentive drivers, which resulting in 20 deaths, more than 36-hundred injured, and over 81-million dollars in property damage. Nationwide, more than 32-thousand people died in crashes caused by distracted driving across the country from 2011 to 2020.
Distracted driving is a primary law in Iowa. Law enforcement officers can pull over any driver who is texting or using any portable electronic device, unless the motor vehicle is at a complete stop and off the traveled portion of the roadway. The Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau encourages drivers to use hands free options and to limit distractions by enabling the ‘driving’ focus on their phones.
