Iowa police are on the lookout for drivers who send text messages behind the wheel. So far, the effort is all thumbs. 
 
 Instead of tickets, police are giving texting drivers colorful bands to wear on their thumbs that say: "TXTNG KILLS." 
 
 View Full Image Iowa Department of Public Safety A 'TXTNG KILLS' thumb band being handed out by Iowa police. 
 
 The bands are part of a statewide campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of texting while driving under a new law prohibiting the practice that took effect July 1. For the first year, police can give scofflaws warnings only. Next year, fines will kick in. 
 
 Deputy Craig LaKose of the Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Department in northern Iowa was given half a dozen of the bands in blue, black and bright pink at the beginning of October, but has yet to catch anyone in the act. 
 
 "It's hard to grab somebody when you're in a marked squad car," he said. "In your own personal car, you can see it going down the road—how many people are doing it." 
 
 Courtney Greene, spokeswoman for Iowa's Department of Public Safety, said even state police have trouble catching texters in the act. After a few stops, she said, "the kids text out, 'Watch out, put your phones down.' " 
 
 The state ordered 30,000 of the bands and plans to order another 30,000. State employees have been distributing them at events such as the Iowa State Fair, high-school football games and the Iowa-Iowa State college football game. 
 
 "A lot of people want them for their kids," Ms. Greene said. "It's a fun way to get across a serious message about not texting and driving." 
 
 Several national groups are handing out similar thumb bands, including insurance giant Allstate Corp., whose "X the TXT" campaign has persuaded more than 100,000 people to pledge to stop texting while driving since last November. 
 
 Thirty states ban texting while driving, including 11 that enacted laws this year, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. 
 
 The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that in 2008 nearly 6,000 people died in crashes involving some type of distracted driving, including cellphone use and texting. In Iowa, 16 people have died in accidents involving cellphones since 2001. 
 
 Sheriff Kevin Pals in Cerro Gordo County, population 47,000, said he received about 150 of the bands, which he gave to his deputies to hand out during traffic stops or to anyone who asks for one. 
 
 "I got a call from a woman in Des Moines who wanted them for her nieces and nephews," he said. "I'm optimistic they'll go fast." 
 
 Write to Joe Barrett at joseph.barrett@wsj.com ||||| traffic Iowa’s New Anti-Texting Thumb Bands Misunderstand How Teenagers Work 
 
 To stop residents from driving while texting, Iowa police have basically created the next Silly Bandz. As part of its "X the TXT" campaign, the state has ordered 30,000 thumb bands in black, blue, and bright pink with words "TXTING KILLS," giving them away at the Iowa State Fair and high school football games. Hey, take a picture of me driving with this thing on so I can tweet that shit. Seriously, have you ever seen a kid in a D.A.R.E. shirt that wasn't stoned? [WSJ]
– Iowa drivers caught texting while driving under a new law aren't getting tickets. Instead, police are handing out brightly colored thumb bracelets that bear the phrase TXTING KILLS, reports the Wall Street Journal. The idea is to raise awareness, with fines kicking in next year. State employees are also distributing the bracelets at fairs and football games. So far, authorities say they're not having much luck catching drivers in the act. Once a few stops are made, "the kids text out, 'Watch out, put your phones down,'" says a spokesman for the Public Safety office. The Daily Intel blog at New York magazine is a wee bit skeptical of the bracelet approach. "Seriously, have you ever seen a kid in a DARE shirt that wasn't stoned?"