Few ticketed for texting while driving in Iowa - KTIV News 4 Sioux City IA: News, Weather and Sports

Few ticketed for texting while driving in Iowa

Posted:
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) -

The Iowa State Patrol says fewer than 100 tickets for texting while driving have been issued on state highways since a law banning the practice was enacted last year.

The a Cedar Rapids newspaper reports the patrol has issued 96 tickets and 48 warnings since July 1, when the new law went into effect.

The Iowa Department of Transportation has recorded 119 convictions, which includes tickets issued by the State Patrol and county and city departments in Iowa.

Officers say the law is difficult to enforce. Texting while driving is a secondary offense, meaning a driver must be doing something else wrong -- like speeding -- before an officer can pull him over.

State Patrol Capt. Bob Conrad says the violation also can be difficult to prove.

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