A Chicago woman has joined the ranks of people ticketed in Orland Park for texting while driving since the law went into effect Jan. 1.
Mariela Chaldez, 18, 3840 Marquette Road, was charged with texting while driving and driving on a suspended license after she was stopped Feb. 4 in the 14900 block of Orland Square Drive, police said.
Chaldez was the 25th driver to receive a traffic ticket in the village for texting while driving, police Lt. James Bianchi said.
Since Chaldez received her ticket, Bianchi, who supervises the department’s traffic safety division, said five more tickets have been written.
The police officer who arrested Chaldez said in his report that he saw her texting on her cell phone.
According to the police report, Chaldez told the officer, “My phone would not stop vibrating so I checked my messages.”
After she was stopped for texting, a check of her license showed that her license was suspended.
Bianchi said it’s easy for officers to spot people who are texting on their cell phones.
“You just drive next to them,” he said.
He said officers clearly can tell the difference between a driver who is dialing a phone number and a driver who is texting.
A driver can dial a phone number pretty quickly, Bianchi said. But if the driver has his phone resting on the steering wheel and is typing away, “it gives it away.”
He said the practice of texting and driving clearly is dangerous.
People need to pay attention when they drive, but they often don’t, he said.
“Our goal, especially on our main thoroughfares, is to reduce crashes and the injuries they cause,” Bianchi said.
Chaldez is due in court March 2, police said.
Illinois is one of 19 states, along with the District of Columbia and Guam, that bans text messaging for all drivers.
Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services