DES MOINES, Iowa — Starting Tuesday, a number of laws passed during the legislative session will take effect, and one law change will affect Iowans’ phone habits while behind the wheel.

The goal is to limit the amount of distractions and keep Iowans focused on the road while operating a motor vehicle.

According to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s crash history report, preliminary numbers show 933 crashes were caused by distracted electronic use in 2024, with 10 being fatal.

“You know, our number one goal out of this new law passing and coming into effect here in Iowa is exactly what other states have seen. Their number of crashes have dropped, and we know that if we can get people to comply with this new law, our crash rates will drop. But at the end of the day, it’s about saving lives,” said Sergeant Alex Dinkla with the Iowa State Patrol.

The Iowa State Patrol says July 1 through New Year’s only warnings will be issued, giving drivers a grace period to retrain their phone habits.

“Our goal is not to go out and write a whole lot of tickets. We will be educating the public on every one of our traffic stops, we’ll be handing out some informational cards so people can get informed about what the new law says, and how you comply with the new law. We are going to be doing a large part of the education for this because it’s a way we have to reeducate and reacclimate a motorist to what they should and should not be doing behind the wheel,” said Dinkla.

In this new law, drivers are not allowed to use electronic devices to scroll, view texts or videos, make calls, or enter an address into a GPS while driving. Drivers are also not allowed to hold their phones. Drivers can, however, use voice-activation to make calls and ask for directions. To learn more and find ways to make your vehicle hands-free compliant, click here.

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