Texting and Driving in Illinois - New Law Goes Into Effect on Jan. 1, 2010

[quote name='shieryda']http://cbs2chicago.com/local/texting.and.driving.2.1368693.html

Not really sure how they're going to enforce this one, since they don't really seem to be doing a great job on the hands-free enforcement, either.[/QUOTE]

I never understood how a person can get caught driving while talking on the phone. Let's say you are going to get pulled over, you could just end the call/stop texting and put the phone away. Wouldn't it be your word against the officer?
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Sure, but who's word do you think the judge will take on that 99% of the time?[/QUOTE]

The driver of course. Anyway, back to reality. Good point on that. But if you do go to court and fight it, wouldn't the judge see that you are taking the time to get out of the ticket and instead of paying the fine (easy way out) or am I just living in a fantasy world?
 
Fantasy world. It's good to go to court since you'll get off if the cop who wrote the ticket doesn't show up.

But if you show up and argue against it, you usually won't win unless you can some how prove you weren't talking on the phone, or speeding, or running the red light etc.

Best is to just pay it, or go to court and hope the officer doesn't show up--and just apologize and ask for leniency (reduction in fine) if they do. Otherwise the judge is going to likely take the officer's word for it, and probably be annoyed that you're wasting the courts time trying to argue it rather than pay it when you have no proof.

Or just stay off the damn phone while driving in the first place.
 
I'm happy for the new law, because I hate my douche-bag friends who text and drive, I just don't see it being enforced. The only way I can see this stopping is if the fine were $10,000. Unfortunately, that goes against the whole 'cruel and unusual punishment' thing.

But then again, since texting and driving is just as dangerous as drinking and driving, maybe they should carry the same penalty. You get your car towed, you spend a night in jail, you pay the DUI and then you pay a lawyer to fight for your license. I'm sure that would quickly add up to $10,000.

fucking teenagers.
 
Well since Mayor Daley is turning Chicago into a police state with surveillance cameras on every fuckin' street corner, I'm sure they could use those to catch people texting and driving somehow.
 
Anyone who text and drives is a fucking douchebag. Actually, anyone who texts to begin with is a fucking douchebag. Rotary dial FTW!
 
yeah im not a fan of the red light cameras on the southside...shit is annoying. not helping my fuel economy or brakes having to come to a complete fullstop and wait a few seconds before tempting fate and making a turn w/ one of those cameras around.

texting while driving? i hope the texter slapped w/ a nice fine for it. Dunno how they will enforce this one...
 
[quote name='naiku']not helping my fuel economy or brakes having to come to a complete fullstop and wait a few seconds before tempting fate and making a turn w/ one of those cameras around.[/QUOTE]

In light of safety of yourself, those around you, and the rules of the road, I say royally fuck your fuel economy, right in the ear.


I wish that every person who rolls through right-on-reds and stop signs would go to horrible prison forever. Even/especially if it's a friend or relative of yours who thinks they have a good excuse, you person who is reading this right now.

And before anyone asks: yes, I am literally a perfect driver, 100% of the time, and I meticulously follow every law and rule to a "t."
 
I thought this law already started. Hell the no smoking in public places started last year and most bars don't fallow it. Around here it is well we cant give an ashtray but we can give a cup of water and what you do with it is up to you. If they don't say that it is as long as the bartender does not see you doing it.

I see this texting law as just another way to pull people over and to give them another ticket. Say a cop pulls me over for speeding. They look and see in my cup holder or passenger seat my cell phone. Oh you have your cell phone out so you must have been texting here is a ticket for that. Hell some of them do that now with the seatbelt law.
 
[quote name='ZerotypeX']I never understood how a person can get caught driving while talking on the phone. Let's say you are going to get pulled over, you could just end the call/stop texting and put the phone away. Wouldn't it be your word against the officer?[/QUOTE]

Actually, no. Since it's a court of law and everything, they can simply pull the phone records, and have proof the phone you were using was on your person, and made a call/text/etc during that timeframe.
 
[quote name='CoffeeEdge']In light of safety of yourself, those around you, and the rules of the road, I say royally fuck your fuel economy, right in the ear.[/QUOTE]

Actually, in my area, north of Chicago, the percentage of accidents has gone up because so many people are slamming on their brakes at red lights. There's been multiple stories in the newspaper how they're doing more harm than good. In fact, one town around here has banned them. (I can't remember which town exactly. I want to say Vernon Hills, but that doesn't sound right.)

So in reality, naiku would probably be safer if he didn't slam on the brakes right at the line, and did the normal 'slow roll' to check that it was clear, then go.
 
Virginia banned red light cameras.

People would either speed up tremendously to beat them, or slam thier brakes, causing more accidents.

Also, a longer yellow light reduces the amount of collisions at intersections, but a shorter yellow light nets more money from red light fines. I've noticed more and more intersections reducing the yellow light now to what seems like barely a second, which is ridiculous.
 
[quote name='Access_Denied']Actually, in my area, north of Chicago, the percentage of accidents has gone up because so many people are slamming on their brakes at red lights. There's been multiple stories in the newspaper how they're doing more harm than good. In fact, one town around here has banned them. (I can't remember which town exactly. I want to say Vernon Hills, but that doesn't sound right.)

So in reality, naiku would probably be safer if he didn't slam on the brakes right at the line, and did the normal 'slow roll' to check that it was clear, then go.[/QUOTE]

I'm sure you also heard the tale where certain neighborhoods had the timing of red to yellow reduced once the red-light cameras were installed, thus yielding more "infractions" thus more money in local government coffers. I know the people contend this, but don't believe for a second the cameras are there for anything but revenue.
 
Texting while driving has been banned for awhile in CA, along with talking w/o a hands-free device. Not that it does any good. I routinely see fools talking with their phone to their ear or looking down to text while driving in my town. I guess the cops are too busy dodging bullets to enforce the traffic laws! (According to Wikipedia, my hometown has the 68th worst overall crime rate in the nation!)
 
I text when I drive all the fuckin' time.

Text the honey(s) on the side, while your drivin' to a party.

How the fuck am I suppose to get the address for a Christmas Party if I can't text? $$$$a fuck THAT LAW
 
FYI I received two red-light tickets in the mail one day; both were at the same intersection around the same time of the night, around midnight. The turn I was making is a NO TURN ON RED 7am-7pm. I contested the tickets, saying (basically, but a lot more than) my turn was completely legal.

Currently, I haven't received anything else in the mail yet. This was months ago.
 
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