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Cell Phones Mean Trouble Behind the Wheel
Even one fatality is too many, but Illinois' traffic death toll keeps going down.

Speaking to reporters at the Illinois State Fair Friday, acting State Police director Jonathan Monken said teen fatalities on Illinois roadways have dropped from more than 200 a year from 2005 to 2007 to 108 last year and 52 so far this year. Monken joined Illinois Department of Transportation officials and the U. S. Secretary of Transportation to promote safe driving, especially when considering a cell phone or similar device: "DRV NOW, TXT L8R."

Federal Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the former congressman from Peoria, says we've gotten to the point where it's second nature to "buckle up" – so why not add "put the cell phone in your glove compartment" to that? LaHood says while distractions such as the radio, food, and cigarettes have been around a lot longer than cell phones, distracted driving has become what he calls an "epidemic" because 1) everybody has one and 2) unlike eating, it's a "cognitive" distraction. "This idea about eating a hamburger, shaving, putting your makeup on – they’re not the kind of distraction that cell phone use and texting devices are," LaHood said.

(Illinois Radio Network)
08 20 10 by Newsroom
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