Beginning Friday, January 1, 2021, drivers reported in violation of Idaho's "hands-free" device code risk receiving a citation.
Since July, Boise Police and law enforcement across the state have been working to educate motorists about the dangers of distracted driving and the state's new "hands-free" device law.
According to the Idaho Transportation Department’s Office of Highway Safety:
- Between 2015 and 2019 there were 25,170 distracted driving crashes in Idaho killing 237 people.
- Nationally, distracted driving was a factor in nine percent of all traffic fatalities in 2019 – in Idaho, it was 16 percent.
"If you're texting or using a device, you're not driving," said ISP Sgt. Curt Sproat. "For a lot of people, devices have become a habit, but it's a very dangerous habit when we're driving. That's why the law is in place and if a citation is the incentive some drivers need to put the device down and focus on the road, officers now have that option."