Under the Golden Dome, Too

By: 
Linda Upmeyer

Keeping Iowa’s roads and highways safe
     With Memorial Day right around the corner, I encourage everyone to take a moment to reflect on the service and sacrifices that our veterans and active duty members of the military make each and every day. Please also take some time to recognize those that protected us and kept us safe who are no longer with us. It truly takes a special kind of person to put their country and others above themselves and for that we thank each and every member of our armed services, past and present. Thank you for your service and I wish everyone a safe and happy Memorial Day.
     We adjourned the 2017 legislative last month on Saturday, April 22 after spending 104 days in session doing the work of Iowans. This was truly a historic session with a number of measures passed that make Iowa a great place to raise a family or grow a business.
     One issue that we focused our attention on this session was improving safety on our roads. Last year we saw a spike in the number of traffic fatalities on Iowa highways, which led Governor Branstad to assemble a task force to examine ways that we could reduce accidents and fatalities on our roads and make recommendations to the Legislature. We took a look at many of the task force’s suggestions and in the end wound up with a number of bills that will hopefully improve road safety.
     A major cause of crashes on Iowa’s roads and highways can be attributed to distracted driving like texting, emailing, checking social media or other cell phone usage while driving. We’ve now made texting while driving a primary offense, which will allow law enforcement to pull drivers over that they see using their phones to text while behind the wheel. However, this new law doesn’t prevent Iowans from using their phone to make calls, use speak-to-text functionality or other voice-operated features.
     The texting and driving law will take effect on July 1, and law enforcement will only issue warnings for the first year as Iowans change their habits and get acquainted to the new rule.
     We also increased penalties on those who kill someone in a traffic accident if it can be proven that texting was the cause of the crash. This will ensure that those who take the life of another because of a reckless decision behind the wheel are held accountable.
     Another major cause of accidents on Iowa’s roads is impaired driving, whether it be drugs or alcohol. In an effort to reduce the number of drivers that would get behind the wheel of a car after drinking or doing drugs, the Legislature implemented the 24/7 Sobriety program. This is a voluntary program that counties can use which has shown to be effective at reducing drunk and drugged driving in other states like South Dakota.
     The 24/7 program requires certain offenders charged with alcohol or substance abuse violations to submit to twice daily drug and alcohol tests. This face-to-face contact and requirement to stay sober holds offenders accountable and encourages them to remain on the path of sobriety. The ultimate goal of 24/7 Sobriety is to encourage participants to remain sober even after they complete the program and avoid reoffending in the future.
     We will be closely watching how these new approaches affect the number of traffic accidents and fatalities and will continue to look for future opportunities to ensure safety on our highways.
     As always, please keep in touch. As legislation moves forward, feel free to send me comments, questions or feedback that you may have regarding issues before us in the House. I can be reached at linda.upmeyer@legis.iowa.gov or (515) 281-3521.

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