Chicago, IL -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/27/2014 -- As of January 1, 2014, Illinois' new law banning the use of handheld cell phones while driving has gone into effect. Officials hope the law will decrease auto accidents and clarify the existing patchwork of local laws.

“There is no doubt that cell phone use and other types of distracted driving cause many accidents,” said Paul Greenberg, a car accident attorney with Briskman Briskman & Greenberg.

According to the National Safety Council, an estimated 1.6 million auto accidents involve cell phone use, including texting, each year.

Under the new law, motorists will still be able to use their cell phones if they use a hands-free device. Otherwise, they must pull over to conduct a conversation — or face a fine. In enacting the law, Illinois has joined the company of about a dozen other states with similar restrictions.

The new state law is also expected to relieve some of the confusion that arose from the variety of differing local laws.

In the summer of 2013, law enforcement officials in Highland Park, Lake Forest, Highwood, Deerfield, Winnetka and Waukegan engaged in a special enforcement effort against cell phone use while driving. They issued more than 700 tickets during three five-day periods. The citations were based on each set of local ordinances and existing state law, which prohibited texting and driving as well as cell phone use in school zones.

Police have said that the new law will make enforcement easier, as drivers from out of town will no longer be able to claim that they are unaware of the law.

The new law, however, is not a cure-all. According to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, using a hands-free device to conduct a cell phone conversation while driving can be just as dangerous as using a handheld device while driving, because the driver's attention is still on something other than the road.

Under the new law, a first offense carries a fine of $75, and repeated offenses can cost a driver as much as $150. A driver's license can be suspended after three moving violations within a year. The law contains an exception for emergency calls.

Another measure that went into effect January 1 increased penalties for drivers whose cell phone use causes a crash that results in injury or death.

Learn more at http://www.briskmanandbriskman.com/practice-areas/chicago-car-truck-accident-lawyers/