Distracted Drivers Get Few Tickets in Chicago

The Chicago Police Department has all but given up the practice of issuing distracted driving tickets, according to numbers released from the department. "The number of municipal tickets issued by Chicago police to drivers using their mobile devices has plummeted over the past three years, to 186 in 2016 from 25,884 in 2015 and 45,594 in 2014, according to statistics from the department. Just 24 were issued through April 16 of this year," reports Mary Wisniewski in the Chicago Tribune. While it's still commonplace to see people stopped at green lights while they text or use the internet on their phones, Chicago police are no longer writing many tickets for the offense.

The dangers of distracted driving have been proven by many studies, and American roads are becoming more dangerous. "Chicago is part of a national trend of police issuing fewer tickets for traffic violations, even as the number of traffic fatalities has jumped 14 percent nationwide in the past two years," Wisniewski was told by a representative from the National Safety Council.