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Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley open to restricting phone use while driving as new coalition urges a

An Iowa Senate panel advanced a bill Monday that would only allow hands-free use of cell phones while driving.
Marco Verch
/
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An Iowa Senate panel advanced a bill Monday that would only allow hands-free use of cell phones while driving.

The top Republican in the Iowa House of Representatives said he is “not going to stand in the way of” legislation cracking down on drivers who are distracted by their phones, as a new coalition gears up to push for a bill that would only allow hands-free phone use while driving.

The bill passed the Senate 47-3 in 2023, but it stalled in the House.

It would make it illegal to use a phone while driving, unless it is being used in a voice-activated or hands-free mode. A single touch to accept or hang up a call, or to start directions on a navigation app would be allowed. The bill would also increase the fine for using a phone while driving from $45 to $100, and enact heightened penalties for violations causing serious injury or death.

I’m not going to stand in the way of it, but I also want the members to be comfortable doing it. Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley
Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley

House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, said in an interview with IPR that he has been “apprehensive” about the policy.

“But as we’re getting to the point where I think that more and more folks are bringing data that shows that there may be a need, there still is a divide within our [House Republican] caucus,” he said. “I have told members of our caucus that I’d be willing to support it. I’m not going to stand in the way of it, but I also want the members to be comfortable doing it.”

Iowa law currently bans writing, sending or viewing electronic messages while driving. But law enforcement groups have long said that is very difficult to enforce, because drivers tend to just say they were using a GPS app.

Advocates push for stricter laws against distracted driving

Law enforcement groups are part of a new coalition of more than 30 organizations, which includes the Iowa Department of Public Safety and the Iowa Department of Transportation, that is pushing for a stricter law.

The “End Distracted Driving Iowa Coalition” launched this month and also includes health care, labor, business, insurance and transportation groups, as well as organizations representing cyclists and motorcyclists.

The coalition points to Iowa DOT data showing distracted driving crashes in the state have increased by 43% over the past decade. According to the coalition, a 10% reduction in distracted driving “would prevent 1,000 crashes, 700 injuries, and six fatalities annually.”

I have a moral obligation to advocate for others who are less fortunate. Luke Hoffman, executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition
Luke Hoffman, executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition

Luke Hoffman is executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, which has pushed for more restrictions on phone use while driving because cyclists have been killed in Iowa by distracted drivers. He said he believes the Legislature will take action on distracted driving in the 2025 legislative session.

“The reason why I’m so confident is that we have more organizations unified and organized than we ever have before in the history of the bill trying to get passed,” Hoffman said.

He said the bill is needed because it will save lives, and similar policies in other states have led to reductions in crashes and deaths related to distracted drivers.

Hoffman was hit by a car while biking in June. He said he was very lucky to be “largely unscathed,” but Iowa cyclists who have died after being hit by cars were on his mind.

“I have a moral obligation to advocate for others who are less fortunate,” he said.

GOP lawmakers worry about restricting 'individual rights'

Grassley said one of the main sticking points for some Republican lawmakers is a concern about “individual rights.”

“I’ve evolved more to saying that if we can craft restrictions in the proper way, that aren’t overly burdensome and irrational, that are very hard to prove and all the other things, that I would be supportive,” he said.

But Grassley said he needs to see where the new group of House Republicans stands on the issue.

Hoffman said he also thinks freedom is important, but that can be achieved through safety.

“You can have freer society through having a safer state,” he said. “When you have more peace of mind, you can be more free.”

Iowa’s 2025 legislative session begins Jan. 13, 2025.

Copyright 2024 Iowa Public Radio News

Katarina Sostaric is an Iowa City based reporter covering Eastern Iowa for Iowa Public Radio.