The Iowa Bicycle Coalition and Iowa State Patrol are continuing efforts to pass a hands-free driving law they argue would reduce distracted driving and ease enforcement.
Why it matters: Iowa passed a distracted driving law in 2017, intending to curb cell phone use and subsequent crashes.
- But advocates of safer roads argue a loophole in the law still allows drivers to look at and use their devices with little consequence — just as long as they're not texting.
Driving the news: The Iowa Bicycle Coalition is lobbying House Republicans to try and bring Senate File 547 for a vote in the chamber this year.
By the numbers: 366 people died on Iowa roads last year, the highest number in the last five years. The State Patrol says cell phones are part of the problem