Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias has launched the “One Road. One Focus” campaign to combat distracted driving, especially among teens. The initiative, rolled out during Distracted Driving Awareness Month, includes a new requirement for teen drivers: viewing a sobering video about the dangers and lasting consequences of distracted driving before securing a learner’s permit. In addition, billboards across the state urge drivers to “Stop Texting, Start Driving.” Expanded patrols, funded by a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration grant, will also target high-risk areas to enforce laws and promote safer habits on Illinois roadways. Over 165,000 teens will be impacted this year.
“Despite understanding the dangers, people still give in to the temptation to pick up their phone while behind the wheel. This ‘intexticated driving’ is the drunk driving of our time and is 100 percent preventable,” Giannoulias said. “Our ‘One Road, One Focus’ campaign seeks to spark a cultural shift in our collective behavior to make Illinois roads safer and save lives.”
“Distracted driving threatens the safety of other motorists, passengers, pedestrians and cyclists and causes tragic reverberations throughout communities,” said Rita Kreslin, Executive Director of Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists (AAIM), which has developed its own distracted driving prevention and education program. “To ensure the safety of our roadways, we must instill good habits that protect everyone who uses them.”
The Illinois Secretary of State Police is stepping up efforts to fight distracted driving, thanks to $77,000 in grant funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Additional patrols will be deployed in areas with high crash rates across the state. Officers have a dual mission: to enforce laws by issuing tickets for distracted driving and to discourage motorists from risky behaviors behind the wheel. This initiative aims to curb the increasing number of accidents attributed to distractions like texting or using phones while driving. Officials hope the program will make roads safer for everyone throughout the year.
