State Police holding Distracted Driving Enforcement Program in Central IL
According to State Police Troop 7 Commander, Heather Apperson, Champaign, Macon and Vermillion counties will all have the driving program conducted in them. This program lets State Police focus on distracted driving laws in an effort to prevent traffic deaths and crash injuries.
2-month-old baby killed in multi-vehicle Urbana crash
State Police said that distractions can increase a driver's chance of being involved in an accident. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 3,000 people each year are killed in crashes involving distract driving. Reading just one text can take a motorist's eyes off the road for an average of five seconds.
On top of this, nearly one out of every 10 injury crashes involve a driver that is distracted.
During the program next month, officers will be on the lookout for drivers who are not following state distracted driving laws. This includes the following:
Motorists are prohibited from reading, sending or receiving text messages or communication, video streaming and from browsing the internet.
Drivers are prohibited from using handheld electronic communication devices.
Motorists under the age of 18 are prohibited from using any cell phone, including hands-free devices.
Drivers are prohibited from using a cell phone, even hands-free, while driving in school speed zones and work zones.
School bus drivers are not permitted to use any type of cell phone, including hands-free.
Motorists are prohibited to use cell phones or take photos or videos on wireless devices while driving withing 500 feet of an emergency scene.
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is funding this program.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
7 hours ago
- Axios
Braun "not there" on replacing Marion County prosecutor
Despite recent criticism of Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears, Gov. Mike Braun says he has no plans to appoint a special prosecutor. Why it matters: It would take legislative action to enable Braun to replace Mears, but the governor seems to have softened his stance on Mears ever so slightly after placing the blame for recent violence squarely at the prosecutor's office door. "I don't think we're there," Braun told reporters last week about pursuing legislative action to replace Mears. "I think that there's going to be enough proactiveness; I'm hoping." Catch up quick: Mears was elected prosecutor by the Marion County Democratic Party in a 2019 caucus to replace Terry Curry, who resigned for health reasons. Immediately, Mears ruffled conservatives by announcing he would stop prosecuting low-level marijuana possession charges. That sparked talk among Republicans of "noncompliant" prosecutors. Yes, but: Mears was re-elected in the 2022 general election. Between the lines: IMPD called in the State Police for help over the violent July 4th weekend in Indy. Braun blamed the violence on Mears and Mayor Joe Hogsett and said on July 16 that holding "noncompliant prosecutors accountable" was the next step in his public safety legislative agenda. Reality check: Mears told reporters after a hearing two days later that he'd never had a conversation with Braun. What they're saying:"I'm hoping the cue is being taken by the folks within the jurisdiction that [they] should be doing it to where they don't need state help," Braun told reporters last week. "But we're not going to just stand by idly and do nothing if things don't get measurably better." The other side:"The Marion County Prosecutor's Office continues to perform at the highest level," Michael Leffler, spokesperson for the office, told Axios in an email. "The office prosecuted nearly 19,000 criminal cases last year. In 2024, we took 247 cases to trial, which constitutes approximately 25% of all criminal trials in the entire state of Indiana, while maintaining a 94% conviction rate for murder trials, 84% for sex crimes, 83% for attempted murder, and 88% for gun cases." "The top five most tried cases in Marion County last year were murder, battery, domestic battery, child molesting and possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon. We will continue to be a leader in taking crimes of violence, especially the most serious offenses, to trial."
Washington Post
12 hours ago
- Washington Post
Teacher hired in Arkansas charged in Devil's Den park killing of couple that was hiking with kids
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas police charged a 28-year-old school teacher in the killing of a married couple who were hiking with their children at Devil's Den State Park, finding him in a nearby city after a five-day search and public pleas for trailgoers to look through their photos. State Police arrested Andrew James McGann at a barbershop in Springdale, said Col. Stacie Rhoads, commander of the department's criminal investigation division. He was charged with two counts of capital murder and was being held Thursday in the state's Washington County jail.
Washington Post
15 hours ago
- Washington Post
Guatemalan town struggles to recover after border shootout
LA MESILLA, Guatemala — Nearly two months after Mexican police crossed the border into this Guatemalan town in pursuit of alleged criminals, La Mesilla hasn't fully recovered. Like many remote border towns, it lives from commerce — legal and illegal — but locals say things still haven't returned to normal since Mexican state police drove armored vehicles into the downtown and engaged in a daytime shootout in June.
