A Nebraska lawmaker says Iowa's strengthening of a ban on texting while driving could be a model for legislation after years of unsuccessful legislative efforts to crack down on distracted driving.
State Senator Merve Riepe of Ralston says Nebraska law, which makes texting and driving a secondary offense, just hasn't worked as a deterrent. "All of us need to understand that if something happens to someone not only do we have to live with that for the rest of our lives but we could have a lot of liability that goes with it as well," Riepe says.
Under Nebraska law, a texting driver must be pulled over for a separate offense for an officer to charge the driver with texting. Riepe says Iowa has had success in making texting and driving a primary offense, which allows an officer to pull someone over simply for texting. Iowa allows cell phones to be used for navigation.
The Iowa State Patrol says citations for texting while driving have increased sixfold in the past year since Iowa lawmakers allowed officers to begin pulling over drivers for texting. Iowa legislators strengthened a ban on texting in 2017 in a bipartisan bill that extended the ban on using smartphones while driving to include social media and games.
Nebraska is one of four states that ban texting but require a second traffic violation for an officer to stop a motorist.