Put distracted driving to a vote without traffic camera ban

State Rep. Brad Zaun, a Republican from Urbandale, is taking yet another stab at banning automated traffic enforcement cameras in Iowa. His perennial attempts have failed in past years.

This time, Zaun has filed legislation that would ban cameras. But the bill would also crack down on distracted motorists who use hand-held cellphones while driving.

Clearly, Zaun believes his bill will draw more votes from lawmakers concerned with distracted driving, which was one factor in a five-year spike in traffic deaths in 2023. A Senate subcommittee moved Zaun’s bill, Senate File 3016, forward for possible debate in the full Senate Transportation Committee.

As legislative strategy goes, this is a common maneuver, attaching a popular idea to a bill that also contains a less popular change in law. Also, this year, Gov. Kim Reynolds has attached her controversial AEA overhaul to a bill that also provides teacher pay raises.

But we believe Zaun should break the bill into its two major components and let them be debated on their own merits. Attaching the traffic camera issue likely increases the chances the whole package will fail to pass.

Lawmakers should move this year to expand Iowa’s distracted driving law. The current law, approved in 2007, allows drivers to use handheld phones to make calls and consult GPS. Those permitted uses make it tough for law enforcement to enforce its provisions against texting.

Most vehicles built within the last decade or so come equipped with hands-free technology that can reduce distractions.

“Hands-free is such a big deal and could save so much heartache,” Veronica Young told subcommittee members. Her son was killed in Bremer County by a distracted driver who ran a stop sign.

“My son was important. My son meant the world to a whole lot of people other than just family and he had a bright future that was taken away for absolutely no reason,” Young said.

Young and others who testified about lost loved ones deserve to get a clean vote on a distracted driving bill, without the distraction of banning traffic cameras.

(319) 398-8262; editorial@thegazette.com