The Illinois Legislature along with the Illinois Department of Transportation is attempting to create a bill that would eliminate all use of handheld devices while driving in the state of Illinois.
The purpose of the bill is to prevent distractions from driving and ultimately to prevent future deaths on the road, John D’ Amico, Illinois General Assembly representative, said.
“After the major success of the no texting and driving law that was passed a few years ago, we wanted to look at how we could further prevent distractions while on the road,” D’ Amico said. “A big step we can take is to eliminate talking on the phone while operating a motor vehicle.”
It is currently illegal in Illinois to talk on the phone when in a school zone or in a construction site. It is also illegal for any person to use handheld devices while driving if under the age of 19.
“The Safety Advisory Committee, sponsored by Jesse White, will be meeting periodically to discuss how to further enhance safety while on the road,” D’ Amico said. “The committee was formed to brainstorm new ideas to protect citizens while driving.”
The proposed law will be the first in a series of proposals to ban all kinds of distracted driving.
“I really think that the law is a good idea,” Jared Ripoli, junior, said. “Talking on the phone while driving is really distracting and this law could probably save a lot of lives.”
Since Illinois’ first distracted driving law was put into effect January 1, 2010, over 19,000 citations have been written, according to Illinois State Police.
Prohibiting texting while driving has been a huge success; the numbers of fatalities while driving has not been this low since 1921, according to D’ Amico.
“Illinois has some of the strictest traffic laws in the nation and we are annually adding new laws every year,” D’ Amico said. “We are also one of the safest states in the nation due to those laws.”
Some laws Illinois added related to traffic safety are requiring permitted drivers to have 50 hours rather than 25 before obtaining a license, the graduated drivers license, and a law requiring all passengers in a vehicle to wear a seatbelt, which was put into effect at the beginning of this year.
“We are open to suggestions, but if the law were to pass, citizens would receive two moving violations if convicted for the use of handheld devices while driving,” D’ Amico said. “In order for people to follow the law, there needs to be consequences.”
D’Amico along with other state legislators such as Karen May, John Cullerton, and John Millner, also support the proposed bill.
“It may be inevitable that Illinois will ban the use of cell phones by drivers,” John Cullerton, Senate President, said in a State Journal Register article. “There’s not a big difference between whether you’re holding a phone or whether you’re not holding a phone. It’s not what’s in your hand; it’s what’s in your head.”
The fate of the bill will be determined after the Safety Advisory Committee creates a final draft of the proposed law and after the committee has heard citizens’ opinions.