Distracted Driving on the Rise

As of July 1, 2017, law enforcement officers may now stop a vehicle when they suspect a driver using a cell phone to send text messages. Prior to the enactment of this law (Senate File 234), texting while driving was only a secondary offense, meaning officers could not stop you based solely on a perceived texting violation and officers were required to have a separate reason to initiate a stop.

The new law seeks to curb distracted driving caused by the use of a cell phone, a growing concern nation-wide and here in Iowa. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports in 2015, 3,477 people were killed and 391,000 were injured in crashes involving distracted drivers. During daylight hours, an estimated 660,000 drivers are using cell phones while driving according to the same report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Iowa faces the same distracted driving epidemic. According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, both the numbers of crashes resulting from distracted driving and subsequent injuries are on the rise. Iowa reports the following crash history for drivers distracted by use of phones or other devices over a five-year span:

Year

Total Crashes

Fatalities

Injury

Possible Injury

2016

1,230

13

232

358

2011

681

3

112

165

If you were injured by a distracted driver here in Eastern Iowa, call the offices of Brady Preston Gronlund PC to discuss your rights. Additional information on distracted driving can be located in our September 2017 newsletter or sign up for our future newsletters.