Lawmakers: No handheld phones while driving
SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Pat Quinn will get the final decision on whether people should be allowed to talk on handheld cellphones while driving.
The first ticket for talking on a handheld phone while driving would be a $75 fine. Using a hands-free device would remain legal. The Illinois House approved the measure today and sent it to the governor.
Eliminating the distraction of a phone could lead to safer roads as drivers keep both hands on the wheel, lawmakers said. But critics countered that plenty of other distracting activities — from eating to smoking and changing the radio station — remain legal.
State Rep. Jack Franks, a Marengo Democrat, told a story of driving with a Wendy's Frosty in one hand and a cigar in the other.
“If anyone deserved a ticket that day, I'm sure I did for having a Frosty and smoking a cigar with a window open,” Franks said.
Still, the wide use of cellphones has drawn the attention of safety-minded lawmakers across the country.
In the past few years, Illinois lawmakers made it illegal to talk on the phone in a school or construction zone, and texting behind the wheel isn't allowed, either.
Quinn already has to decide whether to raise the speed limit on tollways and interstates to 70 mph.
How they voted
How suburban lawmakers voted on banning handheld cellphone use while driving.
Yes
Linda Chapa LaVia, Aurora Democrat; Deborah Conroy, Elmhurst Democrat; Fred Crespo, Hoffman Estates Democrat; Scott Drury, Highwood Democrat; Keith Farnham, Elgin Democrat; David Harris, Arlington Heights Republican; Stephanie Kifowit, Aurora Democrat; Michael McAuliffe, Chicago Republican; Michelle Mussman, Schaumburg Democrat; Elaine Nekritz, Northbrook Democrat; JoAnn Osmond, Antioch Republican; Carol Sente, Vernon Hills Democrat; Sam Yingling, Round Lake Beach Democrat
No
Patti Bellock, Hinsdale Republican; Tom Cross, Oswego Republican; Jim Durkin, Western Springs Republican; Mike Fortner, West Chicago Republican; Jack Franks, Marengo Democrat; Kay Hatcher, Yorkville Republican; Jeanne Ives, Wheaton Republican; Rita Mayfield, Waukegan Democrat; David McSweeney, Barrington Hills Republican; Tom Morrison, Palatine Republican; Sandra Pihos, Glen Ellyn Republican; Dennis Reboletti, Elmhurst Republican; Ron Sandack, Downers Grove Republican; Darlene Senger, Naperville Republican; Timothy Schmitz, Batavia Republican; Ed Sullivan, Mundelein Republican; Michael Tryon, Crystal Lake Republican; Barbara Wheeler, Crystal Lake Republican; Kathleen Willis, Addison Democrat