2010 Brings New Stupid Laws

I can count on one hand the number of tickets I've issued for people driving and talking on their cell phones. Should I write more?

Probably.

Will I?

No.

 A new Illinois law that prohibits texting while driving went into effect on January 1st along with 299 other laws. Just how exactly would this go down? Let's review a scenario: I'm walking my beat and I see John Q. Public driving his Prius while staring down at his phone using his keypad. I'm going to assume that he's trying to text someone and I approach the vehicle and conduct a traffic stop. "Officer, it's not what it looks like. I'm using my GPS on my cell phone" is what he tells me. I'm not going to demand to see his cell phone and check the history. The law states that the use of GPS devices while driving are permitted. If any driver who is pulled over has half a brain they could use this excuse, even if they're texting their bff about the sale on shoes at Neiman Marcus.

The other cell phone law targets cell phone users in and around school and construction zones without ear phones. Good luck enforcing this one since the school patrol unit is short officers. Good idea in theory though.

The original law for talking on your cell while driving was worded something like, "operating a cellular phone without a hands-free device." Technically, using GPS on your cell is illegal but the dingbats who wrote this law have no idea about the problems with enforcing this moronic law.

Illinois has had its share of dumb laws. Cohabitation is still on the books, just fyi. LMFAO!