Governor Terry Branstad recently signed into law a new texting while driving bill, making it a primary offense for law enforcement to pull someone over.

Jefferson Police Chief Mark Clouse tells Raccoon Valley Radio his initial reaction to the new law.

“I think this is huge in the way of public safety. Distracted driving is a huge issue, not just in Iowa but throughout the country. Obviously one of the most prevalent distracted drivers is using a hand-held, electronics device. So I think this is a great step.”

He explains some reservations he has about the law when and if the citations go to court.

“Are we going to be required to get phone records on every one of these citations that we issue to take into court to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that person was on their cell phone. But from a public safety standpoint, I think this was a huge step in the right direction.”

Clouse adds that he would be in favor of a distracted driving law to stop such behaviors on the road, but without going into extremes on either end of the spectrum.