By Hillary Gavan
hgavan@beloitdailynews.com
On Jan. 1 drivers on the Illinois side of the state line could be fined $75 if police spot them chatting on their hand-held cell phones.The new hands-free driving law follows the state’s ban on texting while driving, and will require drivers to use hands-free devices if they want to talk on their phones.“It’s the law and something we are going to be enforcing, especially on the expressways,” said South Beloit Police Chief Dean Stiegemeier.Stiegemeier said distracted driving is a real issue which may be even worse than drunk driving. When chatting or texting, drivers’ reaction times are slowed because they take their eyes off the road.“People have died because of it,” he said.Stiegemeier said if officers observe someone talking on their cell phones on Jan. 1 they have the authority to pull the driver over. And if there is an accident or crash, police can look at the times drivers were on the phone to gather evidence to see if they were using a mobile device while driving.Stiegemeier stressed the South Beloit police have cited people for texting while driving when it became outlawed and will cite people for talking on their cell phones once the new law goes into effect.It will be $75 for a first offense, $100 for a second offense, $125 for a third offense, and $150 for a fourth or subsequent offense. The law states that people will be allowed to use hands-free devices and headsets. However, the law will not apply to a driver using an electronic communication device for the sole purpose of reporting an emergency situation and continued communication with emergency personnel during an emergency situation.
With the new hands-free driving law in Illinois set to take effect on Jan. 1, area cellular phone stores are working to educate people on how to use Bluetooth devices. Roscoe Verizon store employee Jordan DeMars said only about a third of his customers seem to know about the new rule.DeMars and employee Allie Boren said there are a variety of hands-free devices available. The least expensive one at the store is about $25. Easy to use, the device can be hooked up to any phone with a Bluetooth capability including many older model cell phones. Users typically hook it to their ear although some people may attach it to their car visor.The nice thing, DeMars said, is that once the hands-free device is turned on users don’t have to dig in their purses or pockets for their phones and can answer by pressing a button on the hands-free device. And if worn on the ear, drivers can carry on their conversations as they get in and out of their vehicles.
The device can be charged up and used for eight to 10 hours worth of talk time.Boren noted the $25 investment is well worth it, considering the cost of the citation in Illinois.“And it’s just safer,” she said.
Verizon also has Bluetooth headsets, headphones, speakers, car speaker and music receivers so drivers can listen to music, chat with friends of even have a face-to-face video chat. One of the devices for around $69.99 plays music, and blocks noise and wind. One customer, DeMars said, finds the device useful when riding his motorcycle.Driver inattention is a factor in more than a million crashes in North America annually, resulting in serious injuries, deaths, and an economic impact that some experts say reaches nearly $40 billion per year, according to the Illinois State Police website.Each day in the United States, more than 9 people are killed and more than 1,060 people are injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver, according to the Centers for Disease Control Website, www.cdc.gov.
The CDC website stated that in June 2011, more than 196 billion text messages were sent or received in the US, up nearly 50 percent from June 2009.
