Elmhurst Police are Stepping up Enforcement, and This Time It's Not Primarily About DUI

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 3,092 people were killed in 2010 and more than 416,000 were injured in traffic crashes involving a distracted driver. Statistics also show inexperienced drivers under age 20 have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes, and any driver who texts while driving is more than four times likely to get in a crash serious enough to cause injury.

At Monday's City Council meeting, Elmhurst Mayor Peter DiCianni proclaimed Sept. 19 No Text on Board Pledge Day in the city, and encouraged all drivers to take the pledge to never text and drive again.

"Texting is becoming more of an issue in our community," DiCianni said at the meeting. "It impairs drivers to the point of alcohol."

To discourage this dangerous behavior, the Elmhurst Police Department will conduct various enforcement campaigns throughout the city to enforce the texting law. The goal of these enforcement zones is to stop motorists from texting while driving and to save lives.

Texting while driving is a moving violation against a driver’s record and has a minimum fine of $120.