Friday, April 17, 2009

Bill to ban "DWT" (Driving While Texting) passed by Illinois House.

The Illinois House of Representative has passed a bill that would ban drivers from text messaging, sending emails, updating Facebook pages and the like while driving. The bill now moves to the house where, if passed, it would be presented to Gov. Quinn for approval and could become law throughout Illinois.

Here's a summary of House Bill 71:
  • The bill bans the use of any electronic device including cell phones, PDAs, and laptops. It does NOT ban the use of GPS systems.
  • The ban covers Text Messages (TMs) as well as any other "electronic message" such as an email or a post on a social networking site.
  • There is an exception for reporting "emergency situations", for any device that allows for "hands free" messaging, and for commercial drivers that have permanently installed communication devices on their trucks/cars.