It's illegal here in Illinois to text and drive, but to be honest, I see it happening all day, every day.

How many times have you been sitting in a turn lane, only to miss the light because the person in front of you has their eyes glued to their phone and doesn't even move? Or what about the cars that drift from one lane to another while the driver is busy texting away?

It sure seems that people know it's illegal, but they're going to do it any way.

That may change if a new bill under consideration in Springfield gets signed into law. The bill, proposed by State Rep. John D’Amico, a Democrat from Chicago, would allow law enforcement to issue a moving violation (a $75 ticket) on the first violation.

Current law says that a ticket can only be issued on the second, or subsequent stops.

From WGLT:

State Rep. John D’Amico also sponsored the original ban on texting and driving four years ago. He says everyone knows now that texting and driving is illegal.

“They don’t need to have a warning on their first stop. They can get a ticket. Bottom line is, we want to try to continue to make the roads in Illinois as safe as possible," D'Amico said.

If a driver receives three moving violations, their license could be suspended. The plan heads to the House floor for consideration.

 

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