Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White reminds people to travel safely and avoid driving while distracted, as April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
“As the weather warms and travel increases, I encourage everyone to put away their cell phones while they are behind the wheel and focus completely on the task at hand: driving safely,” said White. “Studies show that distracted driving contributes significantly to otherwise preventable fatal crashes.”
A recent study commissioned by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that the use of handheld cell phones increase the risk of a crash by three times. According to U.S. Department of Transportation, in 2012 over 3300 people were killed in crashes involving distracted driving.
Texting while driving is perhaps the most dangerous form of distracted driving. According to NHTSA, driving while texting is six times more dangerous than driving while drunk, and texting drivers are 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash than drivers not texting.
Over 5000 people have been convicted of texting while driving since the lIlinois law took effect January 1, 2010.
On January 1, 2014, the new State law banning handheld cell phones while driving took effect. In the law’s first three months, more than 2800 drivers having been convicted for texting, talking, or dialing on a handheld cell phone.