State Rep. Ann Meyer, R-Fort Dodge, authored the bill and worked for about five years to get it through the legislature and signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds.

“It will save lives,” Meyer said Monday.

She said states that already have such a law on the books have seen reductions in the numbers of crashes caused by people using electronic devices while driving.

“I’m encouraged by the statistics in those other states,” Meyer said.

Today begins an “educational period” in which people caught using electronic devices behind the wheel will get warnings, according to Trooper Paul Gardner, public resource officer for Iowa State Patrol District 7 based in Webster County.

He said citations will be issued beginning Jan. 1, 2026.

The penalty for using an electronic device while driving will be $100, with higher penalties for being involved in an accident. Gardner added that it will be classified as a moving violation. He said anyone convicted of three moving violations in 12 months can have their license suspended.

“Webster County Sheriff’s Office will mirror the state’s enforcement, in that the first six months will be an education period with only warnings being issued,” Chief Deputy Derek Christie said. “The goal of the law is to reduce distracted driving, a leading cause of accidents, and improve overall road safety in Iowa.”

Despite the six-month educational period, there are two groups of drivers who can be cited and fined for using an electronic device, according to Gardner. They are people with commercial driver’s licenses driving big trucks and teenagers. He said those groups were barred from using electronic devices before the new law went into effect.

Christie offered these tips for safely and legally using electronic devices:

• Connect your phone to the vehicle’s Bluetooth system.

• Use the device’s speakerphone.

• Use voice-activated features like Siri or Google Assistant.

• Enter GPS addresses before starting to drive.

• Activate do not disturb or driving focus mode to minimize distractions.

“I am thrilled that we finally got it through the process,” Meyer said. “It was a huge help that Gov. Reynolds mentioned it during her Condition of the State Address. That was very helpful.”

She said she is thankful for all the families impacted by crashes caused by people distracted by their electronic devices who came to the state Capitol to lobby for passage of the bill. Among them was the Castenson family of Harcourt. Dave Castenson and his mother, Velma Castenson, were killed in a May 8, 2015, wreck at Iowa Highway 175 and Samson Avenue that was caused by someone who was texting while driving.

Meyer said it was difficult to get the bill to the floor of the House for a vote by all of the representatives. But once she got it to the floor, it passed by an 84-11 margin. It was approved by the state Senate by a 47-1 margin.

“Do I think it’s going to solve the problem entirely?” Meyer said. “No. We still have drunk drivers and drunk driving has been illegal for years. But I think it will definitely cut down on the crashes, deaths and injuries.”

Kelli Bloomquist contributed to this story.

Conditions of new Iowa law

Under Iowa’s new distracted driving law, drivers cannot:

• Hold the phone in any way.

• Scroll or type.

• Enter an address into GPS.

• Stream videos.

• View texts, videos or social media.

• Text or dial unless the device is in a hands-free, voice-activated mode.