State of Illinois to ban texting while driving

Gov. Pat Quinn of the state of Illinois will sign an amendment to the state's Vehicle Code this week, making Illinois the 17th state in the US to have a ban on texting (text messaging) while driving.

The bill does have the exception however if the driver pulls over to park, or puts the car in neutral while stopped in traffic.

Since last year, 16 states have banned texting while driving including Oregon, New Hampshire, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Washington DC.

There are currently senators planning to push a bill that would make it federally illegal to text while driving. Recent studies have shown increased accident rates caused in part thanks to texting and show that texters are at substantially increased risk of getting into accidents.

"With drunk driving it was important to pass tough laws, but the laws won't really have any effect unless they're enforced and the public knows about it and it's properly adjudicated," says Barbara Harsha of the Governor's Highway Safety Association. "So passing a law isn't the solution, it's only part of it."

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 8 Aug 2009 19:51

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37 comments

ROMaster2

They need to make texting while driving a first offense, it's annoying as hell to deal with those people, no one can drive while doing that.

8.8.2009 20:22 #1

st1kyH4nD

i think people are to addicted to texting, is it really that hard not to do it while texting?

8.8.2009 21:38 #2

st1kyH4nD

i mean driving :p

8.8.2009 21:41 #3

Mysttic

Harder to stop texting then one would think. I never did understand how much a fad it's gotten; I mean most mobile txt devices are cell phones, why the edited by ddp would you not use voice dial and speak to one another while driving rather than type. It's sad at all this law needed to be passed and even more so, enforced.

8.8.2009 22:27 #4

st1kyH4nD

most people who do it say they can handle it, but then end up crashing

8.8.2009 22:29 #5

chris4160

Quote:The bill does have the exception however if the driver pulls over to park, or puts the car in neutral while stopped in trafficSo if they're at a red light they're allowed to text, how would they know when the light turns green? They should ban it completely while in the drivers seat of a car.

8.8.2009 23:03 #6

jony218

If "maximun bob" a famous texas judge was still around, he would throw the offender in jail for the first offense. Texting is almost as worst as DUI, at least the drunk has his bloodshot eyes on the road. Whats the fine $50.00 dollars? No doubt the phone companies opposed this ban.

8.8.2009 23:29 #7

st1kyH4nD

Quote:No doubt the phone companies opposed this
they opposed it, wow that makes them look bad

8.8.2009 23:32 #8

canuckerz

Wow this is a radical concept *rolls eyes*. Is this seriously only the first place to ban it?

8.8.2009 23:56 #9

chris4160

Originally posted by canuckerz: Wow this is a radical concept *rolls eyes*. Is this seriously only the first place to ban it?I'm pretty sure here in australia mobile phones have been banned while driving, i don't know if that includes texting though. Also eating while driving is banned.

9.8.2009 00:31 #10

ivymike

Originally posted by jony218: If "maximun bob" a famous texas judge was still around, he would throw the offender in jail for the first offense. Texting is almost as worst as DUI, at least the drunk has his bloodshot eyes on the road. Whats the fine $50.00 dollars? No doubt the phone companies opposed this ban.Hardly, Maximum Bob would have that offender put to death.

9.8.2009 00:44 #11

DVDBack23

Originally posted by canuckerz: Wow this is a radical concept *rolls eyes*. Is this seriously only the first place to ban it?Illinois is the 17th state to do so.

9.8.2009 00:59 #12

ZippyDSM

10 to 1 I bet the have distracted driving laws and 10 to 1 I bet this is a revenue grab...

9.8.2009 01:32 #13

mystic

The ability to track the phone while moving isnt a hard thing to do but if there are more then one people in the car its a thought that another would be on the phone other then the driver... but due to the crashes of the trains and pile ups of kids on the highway its a good step..lets all stand up and expect more out of the others driving next to us ... we have all seen makeup being applyed while the model wantabe is late for work or even the guy between home and the office shaving and we all think what an idiot. well I've see my share of bad drivers because they are talking on the phone with their shoulder lended over like they need surgery , and they shift from lane to lane like they own the highway. look if your so important that the thought of a phone ringing is so important then buy a hands free setup and if you need to get the text then stay home and off the road its like drunks driving and us safe people are the road kill waitting to be takin out . its not like we need to be axcessable everywhere we go at all times if we do then let others drive,and they call them Taxi's....the law needs to be national

9.8.2009 15:16 #14

ZippyDSM

Originally posted by mystic: The ability to track the phone while moving isnt a hard thing to do but if there are more then one people in the car its a thought that another would be on the phone other then the driver... but due to the crashes of the trains and pile ups of kids on the highway its a good step..lets all stand up and expect more out of the others driving next to us ... we have all seen makeup being applyed while the model wantabe is late for work or even the guy between home and the office shaving and we all think what an idiot. well I've see my share of bad drivers because they are talking on the phone with their shoulder lended over like they need surgery , and they shift from lane to lane like they own the highway. look if your so important that the thought of a phone ringing is so important then buy a hands free setup and if you need to get the text then stay home and off the road its like drunks driving and us safe people are the road kill waitting to be takin out . its not like we need to be axcessable everywhere we go at all times if we do then let others drive,and they call them Taxi's....the law needs to be nationalNot really as most states already have a distracted driving law as cell phones and radios came out years ago.

what we need is better tougher driving tests to get licenses not more inane vague rules....

9.8.2009 15:20 #15

st1kyH4nD

hell yea, im a junior member now!

im talking with my friend about this ironically, he got a new phone and said now it will be easier to text and drive

9.8.2009 17:02 #16

canuckerz

Quote:Originally posted by canuckerz: Wow this is a radical concept *rolls eyes*. Is this seriously only the first place to ban it?Illinois is the 17th state to do so.Whoops, reading > me.

Or did you add the extra info in?

9.8.2009 23:37 #17

DVDBack23

No, I have not edited the article at all since it was published :)

10.8.2009 02:36 #18

varnull

Already illegal in UK .. as is getting a job by the looks of it.

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10.8.2009 02:56 #19

KillerBug

Talking on the phone while driving is statisticly more dangerous than driving drunk. Texting while driving is even worse.

It might be slight overkill to give tickets for anyone found texting while in the driver's seat. There is a similar rule about comsuming alcohol, and many people have gotten DUIs while not driving because of the wording of the law. It should only be illigal to text while the car is on a public roadway...If I want to sit in my car in the driveway and text away, the police should not be able to ticket me for it.

10.8.2009 05:20 #20

creaky

Originally posted by varnull: Already illegal in UK .. as is getting a job by the looks of it. Totally agree, am trawling for non-existent jobs as i type (not as i text! hehe).
Actually i believe it's at least 3 points on your licence and a �60 fine in the UK for using a mobile phone whilst driving, yet the amount of people using phones whilst driving seems as common as it ever was. I make sure to keep a bluetooth headset in the car and an old wired headset just in case it runs flat. You can even get done for eating an apple whilst driving here in the UK, not sure about banana's now that the EU have stopped banning normal shaped fruit.

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10.8.2009 08:00 #21

devil8975

texting to me is a waste of time. text back and forth for 15 minutes or make a 2 minute phone call, and say what you need to. Sad that they actually have to make it a law tho. seriously, how stupid are ppl now?

10.8.2009 13:17 #22

DVDBack23

Originally posted by devil8975: texting to me is a waste of time. text back and forth for 15 minutes or make a 2 minute phone call, and say what you need to. Sad that they actually have to make it a law tho. seriously, how stupid are ppl now?I understand why people would say that, but it is not always possible to call, and it is usually much easier to just text what you have to say then make a full phone call about it.

10.8.2009 14:39 #23

HackYuji

im from upstate ny they passed the no texting while driving the 2nd of july our county's tobacco law is 19 years of age also that went into affect may 2nd sucksss

11.8.2009 16:21 #24

ZippyDSM

Originally posted by HackYuji: im from upstate ny they passed the no texting while driving the 2nd of july our county's tobacco law is 19 years of age also that went into affect may 2nd sucksssNothing say contradiction like you can drive, have sex and join the army at 18 but good lord no booze or smokes for joooo..... oh Amerika....

11.8.2009 16:26 #25

mrk44

is it really necessary to ban texting while driving? i mean if you're stupid enough to do it, you deserve to be in a car accident...

13.8.2009 03:10 #26

chris4160

Originally posted by mrk44: is it really necessary to ban texting while driving? i mean if you're stupid enough to do it, you deserve to be in a car accident...Does the family in the car on the other side of the road deserve it aswell?

13.8.2009 05:13 #27

chris4160

13.8.2009 05:13 #28

wanttono

Originally posted by Mysttic: Harder to stop texting then one would think. I never did understand how much a fad it's gotten; I mean most mobile txt devices are cell phones, why the edited by ddp would you not use voice dial and speak to one another while driving rather than type. It's sad at all this law needed to be passed and even more so, enforced.put away the darn electronics!!!!!!!!! all of them !!!!!!!
hang up and drive the car
8 out of 10 NEAR accidents i encounter are due to someone on a cell

WAKE UP PEOPLE !!!!!!!!!!!!

13.8.2009 09:42 #29

FredBun

You can text at a light as long as you put in neutral, are they sh#@$ing me, what kind of safety advantage is that, now you'll have nitwits holding up traffic.

I'm not a texter or even a big phone user not even at home, I'll use my cell mainly for an emergency or have something half way important to say, it's funny to me that people cry out about talking on the cell while driving, even though I hardly ever do it does not distract my driving at all, I've seen more kooks talking to one another in a vehicle carrying multiple conversations as the driver shifts his or her head to the back to talk to people in the car, way more dangerous than talking on the phone. Or saying talking on the phone while driving is more dangerous than driving drunk, who makes these tests, they must be drunk.

And don't make a complaint that it makes you take one hand of the wheel cause you have a cell in one hand, how many people do you ever see driving with both hands anyway, lame excuse.

But I will tell you what is dangerous, dialing the damn cell while driving, I remember the fist time I did it I wound up in the other lane, that was it for me, and people text while driving, they have to be out of thier friggin mind, and unless it's something important to discuss you know what I mostly see and hear with these contraptions, (Hey what's up, ah nothing, whats you doing, oh nothing whats you doing, anyway whats up) and on and on, please spare me.

13.8.2009 09:46 #30

creaky

Originally posted by FredBun: I've seen more cooks talking to one another in a vehicle carrying multiple conversations as the driver shifts his or her head to the back to talk to people in the car, way more dangerous than talking on the phone. This has been one of my (strongest) pet hates since even before the days of mobile phones. I've never (ever) been able to understand the mentality of people who have to look at whoever they're speaking to in the car whilst driving. They will almost twist their neck 180 degrees just to speak (at length) to people in the back. Extended eye contact with front seat passengers is just as dangerous.

Now i am a fairly impatient driver it has to be said, and i make full use of whatever the speed limit is on any given stretch of road (my point being that i don't tolerate dawdlers or weaver drivers ie i don't leave an awful lot of room for error ie i expect other drivers to be as alert as i am (and i detest having to adapt my driving to suit other slower/erratic drivers)), but strewth - what is with these idiots who have to look at their passengers whilst driving, it beggars belief. Oh and if you bib your horn or flash these morons to get them to speed up and/or concentrate on the road properly they then have to start turning round to include you in their conversation whilst piloting (badly) what is in effect a personal missile.

What i haven't yet seen is someone doing this whilst also having a phone conversation and eating too.

13.8.2009 10:18 #31

FredBun

Creak, lol, on the money cause I've seen all that to.

13.8.2009 12:29 #32

varnull

Originally posted by creaky: You can even get done for eating an apple whilst driving here in the UK, not sure about banana's now that the EU have stopped banning normal shaped fruit.mmmmm.. bananas .. I guess I could get in trouble for having a banana with me while driving.. They are a bit soft actually.. carrots are better XD

13.8.2009 12:38 #33

Mr-Movies

Quote:Originally posted by devil8975: texting to me is a waste of time. text back and forth for 15 minutes or make a 2 minute phone call, and say what you need to. Sad that they actually have to make it a law tho. seriously, how stupid are ppl now?I understand why people would say that, but it is not always possible to call, and it is usually much easier to just text what you have to say then make a full phone call about it.NO I don't think so it is always easier and more efficient to call over texting. If you are in a meeting or classroom and shouldn't be using your phone then it might come in handy to cheat and text.

There are times where you may want to send a short message and not spend time in a conversation but that is rare and still could be handled by a typical verbal call.

13.8.2009 13:33 #34

stimpy120

It's a car not a phone booth. Hang up and drive!

13.8.2009 16:25 #35

JaguarGod

Yeah, it's illegal, but they will ticket maybe .1% of people doing it if that...

I have seen people driving while reading the newspaper, putting on makeup and talking on the cellphone at the same time... It was one of the craziest things I have ever seen. The newspaper was on the wheel, and she was looking in the rear view mirror putting on eye shadow and talking on the phone... Oh and there was a cup on her dashboard... The car was not even stopped. I imagine she was steering with her feet.

The craziest thing I've seen was someone driving while searching for something in the back seat!!! Yes, the car was moving! After two near misses from the car drifting into oncoming traffic, the guy pulls up with a breakfast bar in his mouth...

I am seriously afraid to drive cause there are too many idiots out there. I see people with half their body out of the window so they can scream at girls or drivers turning around to talk or scream at passengers in back. Police are just as bad. They will turn on the siren and speed through an intersection and then turn it off. One was waiting behind us and turned the sirens on, peeled out, shot through oncoming traffic lane dodging a right turner, went about 200 meters makes a hard right and drives to a McDonald's Drive through. I guess they needed their coffee.

I think this law is great. Just enforce it. I don't care if they signed it to make revenue. If it makes idiots stop doing retarded things while driving, then great. There is nothing wrong with pulling over to reply to a text or make a phone call. Just don't do it while driving.

Next, they should ban getting dressed while driving and reading while driving. It is common sense not to do it, so I don't see why people insist on doing stupid things.

15.8.2009 01:27 #36

ZippyDSM

Originally posted by JaguarGod: Yeah, it's illegal, but they will ticket maybe .1% of people doing it if that...

I have seen people driving while reading the newspaper, putting on makeup and talking on the cellphone at the same time... It was one of the craziest things I have ever seen. The newspaper was on the wheel, and she was looking in the rear view mirror putting on eye shadow and talking on the phone... Oh and there was a cup on her dashboard... The car was not even stopped. I imagine she was steering with her feet.

The craziest thing I've seen was someone driving while searching for something in the back seat!!! Yes, the car was moving! After two near misses from the car drifting into oncoming traffic, the guy pulls up with a breakfast bar in his mouth...

I am seriously afraid to drive cause there are too many idiots out there. I see people with half their body out of the window so they can scream at girls or drivers turning around to talk or scream at passengers in back. Police are just as bad. They will turn on the siren and speed through an intersection and then turn it off. One was waiting behind us and turned the sirens on, peeled out, shot through oncoming traffic lane dodging a right turner, went about 200 meters makes a hard right and drives to a McDonald's Drive through. I guess they needed their coffee.

I think this law is great. Just enforce it. I don't care if they signed it to make revenue. If it makes idiots stop doing retarded things while driving, then great. There is nothing wrong with pulling over to reply to a text or make a phone call. Just don't do it while driving.

Next, they should ban getting dressed while driving and reading while driving. It is common sense not to do it, so I don't see why people insist on doing stupid things.
Its simply to easy for any idiot to be allowed to drive and the system just takes money from them and puts them back out driving...

Idiot drivers, the costs of owning and mainting a car plus forced insurance..... and well..anxiety issues....driving is for people that can drop 10G at the drop of a hat in a years time to afford it all....

15.8.2009 01:31 #37

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