The Injury Prevention Research Center and TRIPS Lab partnered to publish a policy brief on distracted driving and hands-free driving laws in Iowa and across the United States. Current Iowa law allows the use of handheld phones for making calls and navigation (using GPS) but bans texting while driving. 30 states and D.C. have hands-free laws.

Iowa’s laws on child passenger restraint in motor vehicles does not meet current best practices developed by safety experts with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The Injury Prevention Research Center and TRIPS Lab recently published a policy brief describing child passenger restraint trends over the years in Iowa and the risks asscoiated with improper restraint.

Motor vehilce crashes continue to be the leading cause of death among adolescents in the U.S. In a JAMA Network Commentay, Dr. Cara Hamann and Dr. Jingzhen Yang discuss how electronic communications devices pose problems, but also potential solutions, in the arena of teen driving safety.

By: Libbie Randall of KCRG