Illinois Police Stop Nearly 7,800 Motorists in 2010

Motorcyclist driving on highway

As we reported last year, Illinois banned texting while driving, effective in January 2010. The law prohibits a person from operating a motor vehicle on a roadway while using an electronic communication device to compose, send, or read an electronic message.

Since that time, as reported by Chicago Breaking News, Illinois State Police stopped nearly 7,800 motorists for violating that law:

In January, Illinois banned the use of cell phones while driving in construction and school zones, as well as texting while driving.

Through Dec. 16, the construction and school zone ban netted 4,236 citations and 2,629 warnings. The texting ban has resulted in a total of 929 citations and warnings over the same time period, state police said.

And, this year, Illinois has passed yet another traffic law that will likely result in even more traffic stops by police. As we explained in an earlier blog post, effective January 1, 2011, a new Illinois law that cracks down on aggressive drivers went into effect. The new law increases the penalties for excessive speeding.

So, Illinois drivers–be careful out there and do your best to avoid car accidents. Drive within the speed limit and avoid distracted driving. Don’t talk on the phone or text while driving and pay attention to the road.

Other drivers–and your wallet–will thank you.

Howard Ankin of Ankin Law (www.ankinlaw.com) handles workers’ compensation and personal injury cases. Mr. Ankin can be reached at (312) 600-0000 and howard@ankinlaw.com.