The Iowa State Patrol is implementing more subtle methods to catch drivers violating Iowa’s recently instituted law banning texting and driving. Motorists are often on the lookout for marked law enforcement vehicles so they can put their phones down to avoid being caught. To combat this, the Iowa State Patrol is getting creative. Troopers are going incognito with some special projects that will place troopers in RVs or dressed in construction gear at a work site. Another effort has the Department of Natural Resources calling in drivers caught texting and driving to on-duty officers. The Iowa Department of Public Safety hopes the effort makes drivers realize they could be cited at any time and encourages drivers to put down their phones. Iowa’s law banning this form of distracting driving has only been in effect for 21 days and citation numbers have not yet been compiled. At this point last year, 204 drivers died on Iowa’s roadways compared to 162 this year, a 21 percent reduction.
