Iowa Code » Chapter 321 — MOTOR VEHICLES AND LAW OF THE ROAD
Iowa Code

Iowa Code § 321.307 (2026)

Following too closely

✓ current as of July 2026
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The driver of a motor vehicle shall not follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard for the speed of such vehicles and the traffic upon and the condition of the highway. [C39, §5024.11; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §321.307] Referred to in §321.482A, 805.8A(7)(c) For applicable scheduled fine, see §805.8A, subsection 7 Additional penalties for violations causing serious injury or death, see §321.482A\n\n 321.308 Motor trucks and towed vehicles — distance requirements. Repealed by 2019 Acts, ch 79, §4.

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Notes of Decisions
Cited in 10 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1960–2024 · leading case: State of Iowa v. Scottize Danyelle Brown, 930 N.W.2d 840 (Iowa 2019).
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State of Iowa v. Scottize Danyelle Brown, 930 N.W.2d 840 (Iowa 2019). · cites it 2× “§ 321.307. And aside from the regulations cited above, of course, police may make seizures for minor violations of the speed limit, for rolling stops, or for a myriad of minor equipment violations.”
Mathews v. Beyer, 116 N.W.2d 477 (Iowa 1962). · cites it 4× “in not having his car under control or reducing its speed to a reasonable and proper rate when approaching the intersection, or section 321.307 in following defendant's car more closely than was reasonable and proper.”
Thompson Wholesale Co. v. Frink, 131 N.W.2d 779 (Iowa 1964). · cites it 8× “torialjy negligent in violating sections 321.307 and 321.308, Code,.1962.”
Jones v. Blair, 387 N.W.2d 349 (Iowa 1986). · cites it 2× “285; 4) following too closely, Iowa Code section 321.307; 5) failing to operate at a reasonable and proper speed, Iowa Code section 321.”
Erickson v. Thompson, 135 N.W.2d 107 (Iowa 1965). · cites it 4× “The first charge of negligence which was submitted was defendant's alleged following decedent's vehicle more closely than was reasonable and proper, in violation of section 321.307. The order appealed from recites, correctly as we believe, it was error to submit this charge…”
Van Patten v. Chicago, Rock Island & Pac. R. Co., 102 N.W.2d 898 (Iowa 1960). · cites it 4× “, provided: "Any person driving a motor vehicle on a highway shall drive the same at a careful and prudent speed not greater than nor less than is reasonable and proper, having due regard to the traffic, surface and width of the highway and of any other conditions then existing,…”
Harris v. Clark, 103 N.W.2d 215 (Iowa 1960). · cites it 2× “clear-distance statute; but it is equally true, the jury could have found from the evidence above set out plaintiff was required to make an abrupt sudden stop to keep from hitting the Shumaker car, the stop signal given by plaintiff for not more than 30 or 35 feet was not…”
Reener v. Hill & Williams Bros., Inc., 502 N.W.2d 26 (Iowa Ct. App. 1993). · cites it 4× “See Iowa Code § 321.307 (1991); Tenn.Code Ann.”
United States v. Mary Linnell, 93 F.4th 1102 (8th Cir. 2024). “” Iowa Code § 321.307 . Officer Reinert testified that the SUV trailed the ambulance on the Interstate by two car lengths for one-quarter mile, a distance the district court equated to a half-second gap between the two vehicles.”
State of Iowa v. Scottize Danyelle Brown (Iowa 2019). “§ 321.307. And aside from the regulations cited above, of course, police may make seizures for minor violations of the speed limit, for rolling stops, or for a myriad of minor equipment violations.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.