Lombard stands behind texting effort

At the village of Lombard, we are spreading the message to all of our residents to “Drive Now. Text Later.”

In Illinois, preliminary data indicates that cellphone distractions, including texting, were the primary or secondary cause of more than 500 vehicle crashes in the first half of 2010 alone.

Nationally, nearly 5,500 people died in 2009 in distracted driving-related crashes and nearly half a million people were injured.

An estimated 28 percent of all traffic crashes — about 1.6 million a year — are linked to motorists texting or talking on cellphones.

The statewide “Drive Now. Text Later.” campaign is something the village of Lombard stands behind. The campaign message centers on the idea that drivers need to focus on the job at hand and that texting while performing other tasks can be dangerous and deadly — not just to yourself, but also to those around you.

Unfortunately, texting while driving is a problem that isn’t going away anytime soon, so getting others on board will make the roads safer for all of us.

The village of Lombard encourages everyone to visit www.illinoistollway.com to learn more about the campaign and how to avoid distracted driving.

And “Drive Now. Text Later.” You can’t do both.

William J. Mueller

Lombard village president