When you drive through Iowa you should make yourself aware of its driving laws and respect them accordingly. This is because every state, including Iowa, has driving laws that are unique to that particular state.
What you can be convicted of can vary, and so can the penalty for the laws that you break.
Specific Rules in Iowa
When you’re driving on Iowa’s roads, pay special attention to the following laws:
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Seatbelts: Drivers and front seat passengers have to be wearing a seatbelt when driving through Iowa. Children one or under have to be in a rear-facing car seat, children between two and six have to be in an approved child restraint system, and from the ages of six to eighteen, children must wear seatbelts.
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Drunk driving: In Iowa, you can be arrested for drunk driving if you’re 21 or older and operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol content (BAC) over 0.08. If your BAC is 0.10 or more for your first conviction, you’ll be required to install an ignition interlock device (IID) in your car.
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Open container laws: Neither drivers nor passengers are supposed to possess open containers of alcohol in the passenger area of the car. Open containers are allowed to be transported in the trunk of a car or behind the last row of upright seats.
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Distracted driving: Distracted driving is pretty much any activity you engage in while driving that takes your mind off of the task of driving. A particularly dangerous form of distracted driving is texting while driving. Like many states, Iowa bans texting while driving, but it also bans any handheld cellphone use while operating your car.
Distracted Driving and Your Iowa Auto Accident
A distracted driver-- such as someone who is texting and driving-- can wreak a lot of havoc on the road. You may have actually experienced that at one point; a driver could have crashed into your vehicle, caused you to break your ribs, and it could all have turned out to be because the driver was texting while driving.
This is important information for your case because it could go a long way toward proving that the other driver was negligent.
Iowa is an at-fault (otherwise known as “tort” state), which means that the person who is liable for the crash has to pay for it when it comes time to deal with damages.
Cases like this can end up being far more complicated than they seem on the surface, and hiring a personal injury attorney to help build your case is a good idea.
Hiring a Personal injury Lawyer
When you’ve been injured in a car accident, it’s hard not to feel exhausted. After all, not only are you injured and potentially dealing with intense pain-- you’re also dealing with the same demands of everyday life on top of your recovery.
Building a case against another driver on top of that could add a lot of stress to an already jam-packed life.
But a lawyer can devote far more attention and expertise to your case, and he or she will make every effort to win. After all, personal injury lawyers are often paid on a contingency fee basis, which means that they won’t get compensation unless you win your case.
Reach out to one with confidence; a PI attorney will be happy to be your advocate.
