By Jennifer Wessner
Illinois Statehouse News
SPRINGFIELD — Three months in, Illinois’ new texting law is seeing minimal results.
The ban on texting while driving took effect Jan. 1. While the law’s true impact on drivers’ behavior is difficult to measure, enforcement efforts appear to be minimal, at best.
Police officers from northern and eastern Illinois both said they know of only a handful of tickets written for violating the texting ban.
Lt. Gary Spangler of the DeKalb Police Department said he isn’t surprised his officers aren’t seeing many tickets for texting.
Bryan Baker, the chief of police in Charleston, said his department has written only one citation for texting also.
Lawmakers passed the ban last year, saying it was needed to stop the increasing trend of traffic accidents caused by distracted drivers. At the time, many questioned how police officers would be able to enforce the law. That question is still up in the air.
Master Sgt. Isaiah Vega from the Illinois State Police said state troopers are still developing new methods of enforcement.
But Baker said his officers are just too busy to develop new ways to enforce the law.
“We haven’t tried any new methods,” Baker said. “We are just trying to keep our heads above the water. I’m hoping I won’t have to lay anyone off like Mattoon did.”
Vega hopes enforcement will become easier as officers learn what to look for.
However, once the distracted driver is pulled over, it can be difficult for officers to determine if the driver actually broke the law. The texting ban still allows drivers to use their phones for talking, looking for contacts and using the phone’s built-in global positioning system (GPS).
Spangler said Illinois residents may never know how effective the texting ban actually is.
