Distracted Driving In Illinois: A Look Into Illinois Cell Phone Laws

Distracted drivers play a major role when it comes to the safety of other drivers. Because of that, we have seen 48 out of the 50 states in this country put a ban on text messaging for all drivers in place. Things are no different in Illinois, as they have been working to keep drivers safe behind the wheel. Check out the Illinois distracted driving laws below!

Illinois Cell Phone Laws

Whether you are learning to drive in Illinois or a seasoned driver, it's always a good idea to have a refresher course on what the current laws are. When it comes to Illinois, the Illinois Secretary of State seems to be in line with a lot of other states and how they regulate it. The following are the Illinois distracted driving laws in place right now:

• All drivers are prohibited from reading, sending, or receiving text messages or communication and from browsing the Internet while behind the wheel.
• All drivers are prohibited from using handheld electronic communication devices while behind the wheel.
• Drivers under the age of 18 are prohibited from using any cell phone, even hands-free.
• All drivers are prohibited from using any type of cellular phone (even hands-free) when driving in school speed zones and construction/road maintenance zones.
• School bus drivers are not permitted to use any type of cell phone, even hands-free.
• It is illegal to use a cell phone or take photos or videos on wireless devices when driving within 500 feet of an emergency scene.

Exceptions To The Rules

Of course, the Illinois SOS understands special circumstances may happen, so there are exceptions to the rules above. Any driver may use a hands-free device for phone calls to report an emergency situation, if they are parked on the shoulder of a roadway or if they are stopped due to normal traffic being obstructed as long as the vehicle is in neutral or in park.

Enforcement of Distracted Driving Laws

How police can enforce these distracted driving laws depends on your state laws. There are two ways these laws can be enforced:

1. Primary enforcement - This means the police can pull you over if they see you violating state distracted driving laws.
2. Secondary enforcement - This means the police can cite you for violating distracted driving laws only if you break another law while doing so.

In Illinois, it is considered a primary enforcement, which means if a police officer sees you sending a text message or talking on a handheld device while you are driving, they can pull you over and give you a citation.

Distracted Driving Law Fines

Speaking of citations, if you violate the distracted driving law in Illinois, the fines for a distracted driving citation are as follows:

• First Offense: $75 fine
• Second Offense: $100 fine
• Third Offense: $125 fine
• Fourth and any future offenses: $150 fine

In Illinois, distracted driving is considered a moving violation. If you get three moving violations within one year, it can result in the suspension of your driver's license. Also, a new law went into effect in July 2020 which increases the penalties to a $1,000 fine plus one-year license suspension if a driver is distracted and causes an accident that results in bodily harm or death.

The mission of Coastline Academy is to help put an end to car crashes. With more laws and emphasis put on distracted driving, we can all take steps to seeing that happen.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to our friendly support staff. If you want to start your driver's training journey with Coastline Academy, make sure to sign up for Drivers Ed and book your driving lesson today.