Tomorrow (Wednesday) marks the beginning of Distracted Driving Awareness month, and Iowa law enforcement agencies are planning a Special Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) initiative targeting drivers in violation of Iowa’s relatively new hands-free driving law. The law, which went into effect on July 1, 2025, had a six-month “warning” period for drivers to adjust to the new law, and citations began being issued on Jan. 1. In three months, officers have issued more than 2,400 citations and over 1,900 warnings. Iowa State Patrol Trooper and District 4 Public Resource Officer Shelby McCreedy expects the rollout to resemble the implementation of Iowa’s seatbelt laws in 1986.
In the four decades since, Iowans’ seatbelt compliance has grown to approximately 94 percent. While the hands-free law is approaching a year old, McCreedy says it will take time for drivers to adjust.
Iowa recorded historically low traffic fatality numbers in 2025, with 260 deaths, the lowest figure for the state since 1925. McCreedy says they haven’t directly tied the drop in traffic deaths to the new law, but it is a pretty safe assumption.
McCreedy adds that the Iowa State Patrol has issued about half of the citations so far this year, and driver feedback shows that nearly all Iowans are aware of the law but didn’t think about the violation until they were pulled over. McCreedy says the STEP, scheduled for April 6 through April 10, is intended to reinforce the new hands-free restrictions. As of March 30, Iowa has recorded 62 traffic fatalities, nearly 38 percent higher than 2025’s figures.
