By Police Chief John Dahlberg

We frequently get asked, Is it illegal to operate a motor vehicle in Mount Prospect while using a handheld cellular telephone?  The short answer is, “No.” In May of 2005, the City of Chicago enacted an ordinance prohibiting the use of handheld cellular telephones by automobile operators with some limited exceptions; such as using the cellular phone to call 911. Chicago’s ordinance and its enforcement of same fuels a perception on the part of many suburban residents and workers that there is broader, even Statewide legislation in place, prohibiting the use of handheld cellular devices.  Presently, neither the State of Illinois nor the Village of Mount Prospect have existing laws (statutes or ordinances) regulating the use of handheld cellular telephones by motor vehicle operators.

There is a growing body of evidence to support the claims of motor vehicle safety advocates, researchers as well as medical and law enforcement professional organizations that handheld, and even hands-free cellular devices greatly reduce driver reaction time and contribute to motor vehicle accidents.  In fact, the most recent statistics are alarming.  It is estimated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that more than 2,600 Americans were killed and 300,000 injured during 2006 in automobile accidents where one or both drivers involved in the collision were using a handheld cellular phone immediately prior to or at the time of the accident.  Research recently published by the New England Journal of Medicine indicates that motorists who use a handheld cellular telephone while driving are four times more likely to be involved in a motor vehicle accident than motorists not employing such devices.

The numbers are even more startling as they relate to teenage drivers and the use of cellular devices.  Teenagers who operate handheld cellular devices are nine times more likely to be involved in a fatal motor vehicle accident than their peers who elect not to do so.  During 2006, it is estimated that 21% of fatal car crashes involving teens between the ages of 16 and 19 were the result of cell phone usage.  A recent study concluded that the average adult driver experienced an 18% reduction in reaction time while using a handheld cellular telephone and for teens, the use of a handheld cellular telephone brought their reaction time as a whole down to levels demonstrated by those drivers 70-75 years of age.

These are troubling statistics.  Each of you, as parents, business owners, operators and drivers, should find it hard to ignore the growing body of evidence as it relates to this issue.  Some local business owners have elected to implement policies that restrict employees from using handheld or even hands-free cellular devices in light of the data and their own personal experiences.  Here at the police department, Department Directives prohibit the use of handheld cellular devices by officers while operating a moving vehicle.  While there are no laws at the State or local level here in Mount Prospect that prohibit or otherwise restrict a motorist’s use of a handheld cellular telephone, there is compelling evidence now available that merits your attention and action.  Traffic safety is everyone’s business.