Article updated: 12/20/2011 5:23 AM

Distracted driving in the suburbs: Few get caught

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Buffalo Grove police officer Tony Goldstein issues a ticket to a 17-year-old he says was reading a text while driving near the intersection of Arlington Heights and McHenry roads in Buffalo Grove.

George LeClaire | Staff Photographer

Sgt. Scott Kristiansen checks whether drivers are texting while driving through the intersection of Arlington Heights and McHenry roads in Buffalo Grove.

George LeClaire | Staff Photographer

About this Article

Only a fraction of drivers who break the law by texting are getting caught, a Daily Herald investigation has found. Illinois' distracted driving law, although well-intended, is tough to enforce and contains loopholes. “If you drive down any road and just watch people the percentage of drivers looking at their phones is very high,” McHenry County Sheriff's Sgt. Karen Groves said.