Hands-Free Warning Grace Period Ends the End of this Month

The grace period for law enforcement to issue warnings to drivers who violate Iowa’s hands-free law comes to an end at the end of this month.

That’s Trooper Tom Williams with the Iowa State Patrol’s Mason City District office, who says motorists are still learning what constitutes hands-free.

Williams says he’s issued his share of warnings, but not as many as he could have.

According to a 2024 Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau survey of over 1,300 Iowans from nearly every county, 90% of respondents considered using a cell phone while driving to be extremely dangerous, even though 50% admitted to driving with a phone in their hand.