Iowa DOT News

AMES, Iowa – July 20, 2012 – Heading into the weekend, can you put your phone down when you are driving? On Monday, the Iowa Department of Transportation challenged mobile phone users to put their phones out of reach or turn them off while driving. The Iowa DOT asked Iowans to give it a try for a week in an effort to motivate drivers to change their distracted driving behaviors.

Stowing your phone can be a first step in limiting distractions; it prevents the temptation to read or write a text, check Facebook or talk on the phone while driving. Reading or writing a text while driving is illegal in Iowa.

Because teens with restricted Iowa driver’s licenses are prohibited from using any electronic communication or entertainment device while driving, the Iowa DOT urges parents to talk to their young drivers about properly stowing their phones before getting behind the wheel. 

All mobile phone users are encouraged to take the Iowa DOT’s seven-day challenge and then post their results on Facebook at www.facebook.com/iowadot.  The Iowa DOT wants to hear about your experience.

• How hard was it to take that first step and put your phone out of arm’s reach?
• Are you a phone junkie? Did you even make it through the first trip without reaching for your phone?  (According to a national survey by TeleNav Inc., 22 percent of people said they would rather give up their toothbrush for a week than their cell phone.)
• Was it easier to concentrate on driving? Were you more aware of your surroundings?
• If you completed the challenge, did not using your phone get easier with time?
• Did your driving actually improve?
• Are you willing to eliminate this distraction permanently?

#