July 1, drivers texting, talking or using any hand held device behind the wheel in Illinois will be ticketed with a moving violation. Let three violations stack up, and Illinois drivers will lose their license for a 12 month period.
Although Illinois banned texting while driving years ago, lawmakers included a provision which gave first-time offenders a break. When given an inch…they’ll take a mile, and not all that surprisingly, drivers across the state have continued texting, posting to social media, and talking behind the wheel unabated.
Starting this month, however, law enforcement will take the kid gloves off getting tough on distracted drivers. That means no texting while driving, no talking, and no accessing maps or other uses of phone technology without the benefit of hands free technology. That includes while stopped at a traffic light, stop sign or while sitting in back to back traffic.
Its better for drivers to put their ‘precious’ phone away until reaching their destination or run the risk of getting a moving violation and the potential consequences that go with it including higher insurance rates or a suspended license if lessons are not learned.
Every year across the nation, thousands of motorists are involved in distracted driving related crashes. In 2017, over 10,000 distracted driving accidents occurred in Illinois alone resulting in untold injuries and many fatalities. Many hope the prospect of getting a moving violation may discourage dangerous driving behaviors and save lives. As one officer who has heard every excuse under the sun for using a phone while driving puts it, “we can’t fix stupid…we can just give it a court date.”
If You Were Injured in a Texting While Driving Accident
Contact Our Experienced Distracted Driving Accident Attorneys For Help
Drivers, their passengers, other motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians are all at higher risk when someone decides to text and drive instead of focusing on the road. If you or a family member has been injured in a distracted driving car accident, contact the Quad Cities personal injury lawyers of McDonald, Woodward & Carlson PC for immediate assistance at 563-355-6478.