The article I chose to read was called "Texting, surfing while driving would be outlawed under measure near approval in Springfield," by Ashley Rueff. Overall, the article is about the Illinois Senate approving a bill to ban reading or sending text messages, as well as Web surfing while driving. However, using a cell phone as a GPS is still allowed, as well as drivers are allowed to pull onto the shoulder or park in traffic to use the cell phone. The bill passed with a vote of 45-6. One member who voted against the bill said that it would just give police officers more opportunities to target drivers based on race.
First of all, I am definitely guilty to texting while driving, even though I know it is a reckless thing to do. I used to think it was okay to text at stoplights, but then the whole getting honked at while sitting through a green light made me re-think that one. I am still unsure about having an actual bill passed on banning texting. People are always going to break the law, especially when dealing with teenagers and their phones. I am afraid that if this is turned into a law, then people will resort to measures of trying to hide the phone by their side so that a police officer could not see them texting, rather than having their phone up near the steering wheel so they can still see the road. One comment a voter said was that it should be passes because it is "a commonsense law." If not using cell phones while driving is so common sense, then should our legislators waste time on such a bill? Personally, if this was a law, I would think more about the fact that I should not be texting while driving.
An aspect I did not understand, or at least remember from previous classes, is that there is an Illinois Senate. Does every state have their own senate and house of representatives as well as the federal government? Does it have the same amount of senators in it? How exactly does the state senate compare to the federal senate?
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