TEXTING A DISTRACTION??

Gov. Pat Quinn plans today to sign two proposals meant to curb behind-the-wheel texting and other potential driving distractions.

The governor will sign House Bills 71 and 72 during a ceremony at Northeastern Illinois University, according to a Quinn spokeswoman. Also expected to attend is Secretary of State Jesse White, whose office oversees driver services.

Distracted driving has become a serious -- and sometimes deadly -- traffic safety issue as more and more motorists use cellular telephones and other electronic devices while on the road, supporters of the legislation say.

One high-profile example involved the death of 2006 Matthew Wilhelm, a bicyclist who was struck in Urbana by a teen-age motorist who was downloading ring tones to her cell phone.

A state legislative task force created after Wilhelm's death found that one in four accidents nationally occur because of driver inattention. Statistics compiled by the Illinois Department of Transportation show that cell phones were the primary or secondary contributor to 1,001 traffic accidents in 2008 and 1,357 crashes in 2007.

The two pieces of legislation were written in an attempt to improve traffic safety.

House Bill 71 prohibits reading, writing or sending "an electronic message" while driving. That ban would apply to e-mail, text messages, instant messages and Internet-surfing.

However, it wouldn't apply to drivers using global positioning system (GPS) devices, drivers who use electronic devices while parked on the shoulder of a road or drivers who use an electronic device in hands-free or voice-activated mode.

More than a dozen states, along with the District of Columbia, already have enacted laws barring motorists from text-messaging while driving, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.

House Bill 72 outlaws the use of cell phones while driving in a school zone or in a highway construction zone. It, too, includes several exceptions, such as using a cell phone in an emergency.

Violating either new law would be a traffic offense, subject to fines, and the offense would be noted on a motorist's driving record.

Both bills, once signed into law, would take effect Jan. 1.

By mailto:adriana.colindres@sj-r.com