DRIVERS ON CELL PHONES TO FACE INCREASED FINES IN CHICAGO
Drivers caught talking on their cell phones without a hands-free device or texting while driving will face sharply higher fines under a crackdown advanced today amid demands for stepped-up enforcement.
The Chicago City Council's Traffic Committee raised the penalty for driving while talking on a cell phone without a hands-free device from $75 to $100. Motorists whose cell phone conversations cause an accident will be fined $500, up from $200.
A 2005 city ordinance made Chicago the largest city in the United States to prohibit motorists from using cell phones without a hands-free device. Unfortunately, that ordinance has been widely-ignored...by both motorists and law enforcement officers. From July 2005 through April 2008, Chicago police issued 40,303 tickets for violating the cell phone ban. The monthly high occurred in October 2007 when 2,012 tickets were issued. The average number of monthly citations is 700, a far cry from the number of actual violators. As one City Council member noted, "When you drive down the street, every other person is on a cell phone." The City Council acknowledges that raising fines will do no good if police fail to enforce the ordinance, but are hopeful that the fine increase will get people's attention.
The City Council suggested two other changes, as well. One alderman recommended stiffer penalties for texting and surfing, while another championed higher fines for younger drivers.
This is a step in the right direction, but it is imperative that our police officers actively enforce the law...and that all of us drivers put our phones away while on the road.
