Illinois State Police to Participate in Second Annual Distracted Driving Week
Education, Enforcement Campaign to take place April 23-27
 

[April 23, 2018] 

Each day, 10 people are killed in distracted driving crashes - contributing to the 37,000 people killed in crashes on U.S. roadways during 2016, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). To help bring attention to the dangers associated with driving distracted, the Illinois State Police announced today it will again participate in Illinois Distracted Driving Awareness
Week (DDAW) and conduct an enforcement campaign of Illinois’ distracted driving laws.

“An injury or death on the roadway because of a distraction such as a talking or texting is completely avoidable. Nobody ever lost a life for NOT checking Facebook” said District 9 Interim Commander Lieutenant J.W. Price. “Taking the responsibility of driving as the serious and dangerous task it is would result in safer roadways. Illinois State Police District 9 will have strict enforcement for all distracted driving violations in order to prevent senseless crashes and save lives.”

The second annual Illinois Distracted Driving Awareness Week is a coordinated effort between the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police (ILACP), AAA, The Illinois State Police, The Illinois Department of Transportation, the Illinois High School High School and College Driver Education Association (IHSCDEA) and nearly 300 local law enforcement throughout Illinois to educate motorists about the dangers of
driving while distracted and enforcing the laws on Illinois’ roadways. Last year’s DDAW efforts resulted in over 18,000 warnings and citations for distracted driving offenses.

In addition to traffic enforcement the Illinois State Police will participate in education activities in coordination with the IHSCDEA:

Teach about the dangers of distracted driving in high school driver’s education classes and/or all school assembly.

Work with teens to display distracted driving posts around community.

Promote distracted driving messages through department’s social media channels.

Contrary to what some drivers may think, hands-free, handheld and in-vehicle technologies are not distraction-free, even if a driver’s eyes are on the road and their hands are on the wheel. The latest AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety research found that:

Drivers who text when behind the wheel more than double their odds of being involved in a crash;

Drivers who use in-vehicle technologies, like voice-based and touch screen features, can be distracted for more than 40 seconds when completing tasks like programming navigation or sending a text message.

Removing eyes from the road for just two seconds doubles the risk for a crash

Violating Illinois’s distracted driving laws can be costly. Know before you go.

In Illinois:

• Law prohibits all drivers from texting and driving [$120]

• Law prohibits all drivers from using a hand-held phone while driving [$120]

• Law prohibits all teen drivers from using a cell phone while driving [$120]

For more information on Illinois Distracted Driving Awareness Week visit www.iddaw.org. These partnerships have been formed to help further a traffic safety culture in Illinois and to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries resulting from distracted driving. Please help the ILACP, AAA, and the Illinois State Police, to keep Illinois’ roadways safe and Illinois strong.

[ILLINOIS STATE POLICE]