Driving Distracted
Story and Graphic by Stacey Wilson
UPDATE: The Legislation past the texting while driving ban on March 24. Drivers will be fined $100.50 as of July 1 if caught texting or e-mailing while driving.
In an attempt to stifle distractions while driving, the Iowa Legislature recently passed a law that bans texting while driving.
“There are lots of things to distract drivers,” says co-sponsor Rep. Curt Hanson, D-Fairfield, “but nothing is nearly as prevalent as texting. We are trying to keep a cork in the bottle before the genie gets out. Just about every person on the streets says this is bad, and we know people are doing it.”
But despite early support for the bill, many are less than enthusiastic about its actual effectiveness. Des Moines Register columnist Kathie Obradovich wonders if the bill will make any difference at all. “I do think that texting while driving is dangerous,” Obradovich says. “The point I am making in my column is that simply passing a law without any additional provision, without extra enforcement, may not stop the practice. We have lots of traffic laws people violate on a regular basis. This is likely to be one of them.”
Whether it will be enforced or not will be shown in time. But as of now, Iowa drivers can expect to pay a $30 fine if caught sending a text message while on the road. Other mobile “activities,” such as reading a text message, playing a game, or looking for songs on an MP3 player, are not included in the bill.
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