On Air Now

Secretary White pushes bill to crack down on texting while driving

With distracted driving awareness and motorcycle awareness on the top-of-minds of Illinois motorists, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White pushed legislation this week to further the cause. The Illinois Senate Transportation Committee approved legislation that cracks down on texting while driving. House Bill 48-46 would classify a texting-while-driving first offense a moving violation.

The current law that took affect four years ago, treats a motorist’s second offense as a moving violation. The penalty for a violation that this law results in a moving violation that will be recorded to the motorist’s driving record, as well as fines and court costs determined by a judge. A driver who is convicted of three moving violations in a 12-month period is subject to a driver’s license suspension.

In a news release, White said “With the increased use of technological devices, distracted driving has become a serious problem” and “No driver should be texting while driving.” According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, driving while texting is six times more dangerous than driving while intoxicated.

The administration estimates that at least 25% of police-reported crashes involves some form of distracted driving – with texting being the most deadly form. The bill now advances to the full Senate.

Recommended Posts

Loading...

Share Contact

contact-chris-mcintyre-qr-code