Orland Police Are On Alert For Drivers On Cell Phones In April

ORLAND PARK, IL — Orland Park Police are participating in national Distracted Driving Awareness Month and will be stoping drivers who are violating those laws — particularly those who are talking on the phone while they are driving — throughout the month of April.

"Distracted driving has become one of the leading causes of crashes," said Orland Park Village Trustee Pat Gira, chair of the village's Public Safety Committee, in a statement. "No message or phone call is worth jeopardizing your safety. Pull over and park to use your phone."

This month, observing the awareness month has hit close to home for law enforcement officials because the 2019 has been a fatal year for state troopers, including Trooper Gerald Ellis, who was hit and killed by a man with no history of holding a driver's license and who had a record of more than 70 tickets and suspensions.

Over the past decade, distracted driving has become one of the leading causes of vehicle crashes on our roads, according to Orland police. National Highway Traffic Safety Association figures show that 3,166 people died in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers in 2017.

"The Orland Park Police Department was one of the leading agencies in the State of Illinois writing more than 2500 tickets for distracted driving in 2018," said Police Chief Tim McCarthy in a statement. "We're looking forward to writing even more if that's what it takes to save lives and enhance traffic safety in Orland Park."

Texting while driving distracts a driver visually, manually and cognitively. Sending or receiving a text takes a driver's eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent of driving blind at 55 miles per hour for the length of an entire football field.

Motorists are encouraged to pull over and park if expecting a text message or if they need to send one.

Police across the state are also taking the opportunity to educate drivers about Scott’s Law, which mandates that drivers must slow down and change lanes when approaching any police or other emergency vehicle stopped along the roadway.

The law was named in honor of Lt. Scott Gillen of the Chicago Fire Department, who was struck and killed by drunk driver while assisting at a crash on the Dan Ryan Expressway in 2000.