Ahh.. the New Year is upon us and that means new beginnings for many of us and new laws for all Illinois residents. There are more than 200 new laws that will take effect in 2019. Here are a few more notable changes, along with a few obscure ones:
Have a child or transport a child under 2 years old? Effective January 1, 2019, Illinois law will require children under age 2 to be properly secured in a rear-facing child restraint system unless they weigh more than 40 pounds or are more than 40 inches tall.
Ever heard of the “Dutch Reach” method? Now your child in Driver’s Education will be learning this method to reduce bicycle-related crashes involving car doors. The “Dutch Reach” method encourages drivers and passengers to use the hand farthest from the door to reach across their body to open the door after parallel parking. Research shows this reminds people to look back for cyclists before exiting the vehicle and can help prevent “dooring” crashes. This sounds like something good for all of us to start practicing!
This next law doesn’t take effect until July 2019, but it is worth noting now. Lawmakers are looking to combat distracted driving with harsher penalties for texting and driving. Starting in July, drivers caught texting behind the wheel will be issued a moving violation that will go on their driving record. Anyone convicted of three moving violations in a 12-month period may have their license suspended. Under the old law, a first offense was a non-moving violation and didn’t affect a person’s driving record.
There are plenty more law changes where these came from! Learn about legislation impacting hunters wearing pink, animal protection in extreme conditions, firearm restraining orders and carnival employee background checks Visit the City of Naperville’s website at www.naperville.il.us/asafernaper to learn more.
Until next month… Stay Aware & Stay Safe.
