Antioch limits cellphone use while driving

If you drive in Antioch and need to use your cellphone, you better activate the hands-free feature.

Village board members on Monday approved an ordinance that restricts drivers’ use of cellphones while operating a motor vehicle. The ordinance provides for fines for violators after a grace period.

“It is something we are trying to educate people on and to make sure people pay attention. It’s an enforcement tool. We didn’t do this for tickets, we did it for safety,” Mayor Larry Hanson said. “We are trying to make people pay attention to the road. I have been on the road myself when people have been on their phones and they slow down. There are a lot of people who have been killed because of this.”

Antioch joins Chicago, Waukegan and Highland Park among the towns that restrict cellphone use by drivers.

Under the ordinance, the only permitted use of cellphones by drivers is with a hands-free device.

Drivers can use their cellphone without the hands-free feature if they are calling 911 to report an emergency and if they have pulled off the road and are legally parked, Village Administrator James Keim said.

There is a 90-day grace period during which police will issue verbal warnings to violators for educational purposes, officials said.

Signs will be posted throughout the village to make drivers aware of the cellphone restriction.

Messages will be posted on the village and police websites as well.

“It’s going to be used as an education tool. It makes people more aware of their surroundings and safety materials,” Police Chief Craig Somerville said.

Violators will face a fine of $50, Anyone using a cellphone during a motor vehicle collision will be fined $250, according to the ordinance.