Chicago City Counsel Could Ban Text Messaging While Driving

The City of Chicago is close to banning drivers from sending text messages while at the wheel, according to the Chicago Tribune. Drivers would also be banned from surfing the web. If caught, the driver would be fined $75, or $200 if involved in an accident.

Alderman Edward Burke is leading the way to get the law passed by the City Counsel. He believes that it would improve safety on the roads. Alderman Burke introduced the proposed text ban just days before the LA train crash, where the train’s engineer reportedly was texting just 22 seconds before the deadly accident.

Eight States have laws that ban texting while driving. Washington was the first state to ban it, and several other states are considering similar legislation, according to seatlepi.com.

While the law is a good idea, and texting while driving seems very unsafe, in reality it may be hard law to enforce. In the first nine months the law was in effect in Washington, only 2 tickets were issued in Seattle Municipal Court. It could be that it is hard for law enforcement officers to spot offenders.

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