Joining a number of other states, this one is establishing new regulations about what its residents are not allowed to do while driving. If residents in this state continue to engage in certain behaviors while driving, they risk fines of up to $1,000.
On Wednesday, April 2, 2025, the measure was signed early. This state will become one of 30 states that support the same law.
Which state has accepted the new legislation?
The “hands-free law” has already been adopted by 30 states, and Iowa will soon join them. The bill was finally signed on April 2, 2025, although it has taken several years for the law to take effect in this state.
The bill prohibiting Iowa drivers from using their phones while driving was signed by Governor Kim Reynolds on Wednesday morning.
Following the publication of heartbreaking accounts of drivers using cell phones while driving, the bill went into force. Ellen, the daughter of Peter Bengston, was killed in 2020 while riding her bike on the outskirts of Charles City. Her story will live on in memory.
At the time, the man who had struck Ellen was trying to buy a boat on social media.
The law at the time said that the man who bumped Ellen could not be found guilty even though he admitted to using his phone during the collision.
Given Iowa’s adoption of this “hands-free law,” it appears that the tide may be turning and that those who willfully violate the law may eventually face heavy fines. Maybe justice will come at last.
What is the operation of the new law?
The new law will make it illegal for people to hold their phones while driving. In the event that people need to use their phones while driving, they will need to switch to hands-free mode and rely on different voice activation features. The bill will only take effect in July, even though it was signed in April.
Officers will be authorized to issue warnings to people who are driving while texting from July until January 2026. Nonetheless, those citizens who violate the rule will begin to face fines in January 2026.
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Governor Kim Reynolds said the bill will work because the first year a comparable law was passed in Minnesota, there was a 31% decrease in crashes. Car collisions in Minnesota decreased by 25% in the second year after the regulation was implemented.
Although it is hoped that this would help reduce the issue of careless driving in Iowa, drivers in other states may also face fines of up to $350 for exceeding the speed limit.
Additional information regarding the penalties Iowa drivers will incur
According to crash data from Iowa’s DOT, within the past ten years, the percentage of distracted crashes has risen to as high as 43%.
Even though Ellen cannot currently receive justice, the passage of this law gives hope that other victims and children won’t suffer the same fate as Ellen.
The Governor of the State of Iowa’s signature on Senate File 22 addresses the use of telephones in hands-free mode while operating a motor vehicle.
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The maximum penalty for using a phone while operating a motor vehicle is $100. The original $45 fine imposed under the new law has been increased to this amount.
If a citizen is caught using a phone while driving and causes substantial harm to another person, they will be fined $500. They risk having their license suspended in addition to the $500 punishment.
A $1,000 fine is imposed on anyone who causes a death while driving while using a cell phone. Even while the fine looks high, it is insufficient to compensate for the destruction brought about by taking a life without cause.
The father of Ellen Bengston hopes that the ghost bike erected in her honor will be the only one placed outside of Charles City. It would be intriguing to learn why thousands of driver’s licenses would be suspended in another state, even if fines are the norm for lawbreakers in Iowa.
Source: Ecoticias
