Just passing it along bc I had no idea about it......



October 14, 2010

PLAINFIELD — This week, distracted driving in Plainfield officially becomes illegal.

Village board members earlier this month approved an ordinance addressing negligent or distracted driving. The law, which takes effect this week, allows police to ticket drivers who were stopped for a moving violation, such as improper lane use, for negligent driving in addition to the moving violation.

Tickets would only be issued if the officer determines the driver had been distracted while driving by things such as a cell phone, eating, reading or putting on makeup.

The ticket would be a local ordinance violation and not go on the driver’s record.

Police Chief Bill Doster said the department will observe a 30-day grace period in enforcing the law.

“It’s not going to be something we enforce a lot because you’ve got to have the erratic driving first,” he said. “I don’t foresee a lot of tickets being written on that. It’s really more of a public relations gimmick, what we’re saying is we want people to be aware that distracted driving is a very dangerous thing.”

Police want to use the law to reach teenage drivers in particular, Doster said, and plan to hand out pamphlets at local high schools.

In Illinois, it is illegal to send text messages while driving or to use a cell phone while driving in a construction or school zone. Drivers under 19 cannot use a cell phone while driving except to call police or for medical assistance

Plainfield traffic Sgt. Eric Munson said the department likely would not subpoena cell phone records unless phone use was suspected as a cause of a serious or fatal crash.

“(Texting while driving) is very hard to enforce, because are (drivers) texting or are they dialing the phone? Typically when we do enforcement on foot and we say, ‘Are you texting?’ people will typically respond right away, ‘No I’m dialing a cell phone number.’”

if you where pulled over and the cop asked to see your phone to see if you where texting or on the phone ..... would you have to show or give him the phone?

I see cops on the phone regularly
time to make a citizens arrest

Yup, NPD is always yacking on the nextels...

Simple solution, don't be a douchebag and use your cell phone, eat, read or put on makeup while driving...

Does getting road head count?

Not if he doesn't tell on you.

Man, this one goes both ways. I see the point, as distracted driving is without question a big problem, but it really seems like just another law that could be subjectively enforced based on a cop's day, or a drivers attitude.

.02

no, it's a 4th amendment violation.

Thanks for passing this on Jen, god I really hate plainfield which is why I am no longer there. Anyhow this is how I see it.

Great way to generate extra revenue. As we know plainfield has MAJOR housing issues, city budget issues, the boom and now flat out in the gutter problems on many levels.

Its about anything they can do to nail someone in the ass for a buck.

it's not a fourth amendment violation if the ofc asks and you show it to him. they can ask anything they want during a stop to build reasonable suspicion, especially if the cell phone use relates to the reason for the traffic stop in the first place. so they can ask and if you say yes its no ones fault but your own if you show it to him and get nailed because of it.

but if you say no, theres nothing he can do about it.

of course just like the officers ask "can i search your car" and you say no, then they just make up some bullshit for justifiable cause.

that or just wait for a k9 to show up and sniff it out ...

hmmmm...profitable idea to make custom airtight/locking glove boxes/center consoles??

Just keep a pack of hot dogs on the front seat

[QUOTE=Odysseys;1831401]Thanks for passing this on JenQUOTE]

No prob, Ken.

I just posted it as a "heads up" for people bc I had never even heard anything about it until someone told me today. Supposedly for the first 30 days they are only issuing warnings but after that 30 period ends in mid November, it's citation time.

hate to break it to you, dogs can still smell thru that.

not if it's truly 'airtight'..

but yeah, still would smell any particles in the air to whatever ppm that weren't locked in the box I s'pose.

hvac air system installed in car?? Maybe all of this is just being ridiculous


I'll just have to get a full fool-proof system ready to rig up to RVs once everyone flocks to cali for the legal pot