Now it's illegal to watch TV while driving in Illinois
posted Jul 14th 2005 4:30AM
We're not sure if this is the first law of its kind in the US (anyone know whether it is?), but we have a feeling it
won't be the last: apparently Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich signed off on a legislation Tuesday making it illegal
to have TVs and/or media players installed in the frontal areas of
cars, punishable by $100 and $200 fines for first
and repeat offenses, respectively. Ok, we can understand the
reasoning behind this, but seriously, what the hell else are Illinoisans supposed to do at the freaking stoplight
but play some Xbox, dog? Thanks a lot Blagojevich, you officially wrecked up ride pimping. And no, this doesn't go for
GPS systems and other informational or navigational devices, so some of our Illinois readers' hoopties are still safe
from the man.
[Thanks, Jonathan]
California has a similar law as well, with similar exceptions for GPS, etc.
I have been told by Georgia State Patrol we have a similar law but I have never heard of anyone actually receiving a fine.
So is having something hanging from your rearview mirror (which can get you fined and towed, I'm proof), something in your rear window deck, tinted rolldowns, ground effect lighting, rims past a certain size, loud exhaust, loud stereos, truck past a certain height, license plate covers, headlight covers, clear tailights, colored taillights, colored interior lighting, the list goes on.... Proving once again, that all Illinois likes to do is take away peoples freedom for the sheer enjoyment of wasting taxpayers $$. AFAIK most states have a law agains having a video screen viewable by the driver (which is what it used to be in Illinois). FYI, its also illegal to watch pr0n in your car in most states too. :D
Its just sensible really. Here in the UK you cant use a phone without a hands free and cradle. You obviously cant watch telly. If your driving all yoru concentration should be on one thing... The road.
Im not too sure about the pr0n issue though.whats wrong with a little bit of filth while driving ;)
Again I'm from UK and I really can't see what the issue with this law is. Surely it's just common sense that you shouldn't be watching TV as you drive? Is it legal to take a nap while driving in America?
Michigan's law states that only GPS and other car related navigational equipment can be mounted in the frontal area of the car.
In AU a similar law exists, however with far more sanity. It is entirely legal to have any number or configuration of screens in the front area of a car, however it is illegal to have these screens displaying moving images whilst the vehicle is moving. So yes, you can watch at the lights, or while parked without issue, just flip that screen down when you go driving.
"what the hell else are Illinoisans supposed to do at the freaking stoplight but play some Xbox, dog?"
Your reasoning is flawed. People in Illinois do not stop at stoplights.
(I'm from NYC, for god's sake, and when I lived there I thought it was about the scariest place to drive in the world.)
In NY it is.
I remember because I read about a NYC taxi driver that was caught watching porn in his taxi while driving.
How can you tell whether someone is watching television when the windows are tinted so dark that you can't see in?
I know this law has been in North Carolina for a while. Cannot have mobile video screens in view of driver. In-dash DVD/Navigation units are wired so that they only turn on when the parking break is engaged.
It's illegal in MA to have the screen in front. It's also illegal to have your windows tinted too much. In MA we have the priviledge of having some of the highest car insurance rates, (regulated by the state, meaning no Geieco or Progressive). Good thing I live in Boston and don't need a car!
This is why I opt to have my windows tinted illegally too dark as opposed to having my screen viewable. :) The fine for a window is a lot cheaper and gives the screen time to fold away.
One thing that needs to be considered as our cars become more integrated with technology is where exactly do you draw the line between a computer monitor interface and a "TVs and/or media player"?
I am from Texas and while you can have a video screen up front, it can't be on while the car is out of park unless it is being used for navigation or vehicle information. Car installation specialists will not connect it so that you can watch while driving. Of course, that has not prevented people from bypassing that wire that is connected to the gearbox. However you can have it operating in the rear seats while moving to shut up those damn kids from saying "Are we there yet?"
It's supposedly illegal here in NC as well. The emergency brake has to be engaged in order for video/TV picture to display. If the emergency is not engaged, you just get sound from the dvd/tv. Though there is a simple way around it.
Well that sucks. Im not from IL but it probably wont take long to be widespread. What would be an easy way to quickly switch from PS2 to fake vehicle information? Ideas anyone? Besides I don't see a problem with this as long as it is the passenger playing GTA. Shame.
Is there law against for use computer with online while driving? Umm.. I am doing right now. :) *driving while left this comments*
DEFINE MEDIA PLAYER. Are MP3 players NOT media players? Can't Media players be used to play MP3's? Is this going to stop anyone? No. Why do we have to have a law? Isn't there already a reckless op law that would be enforced if you are driving and doing something Stoopid??
Duh, no driver is gonna watch a dvd while they're driving, but what about the passenger? If you're watching it while driving, you shouldn't even be driving anyway... we don't need laws to enforce that... we just need better driving tests.
In Michigan, it is illegal if "it is in view of the driver". I asked a local law enforcement official (I can be PC too) about my AVIC-N1 navigation unit and it turns out it's not just limited to DVD's or TV. Even factory installed navigation units that are in view of the driver are technically illegal. He did say that if it is just navigation and factory installed they tend to over look it, just don't watch any DVD's on the unit.
Oregon has the same law .
I live in Illinois and hadn't even heard that was passed yet. The news has been hyping the fact that the new law for 'hands-free only' cell phone use just went into affect. The exact same day it went into affect, a new study came out saying that using hands-free did not make a difference in lowering the number of accidents! My tax dollars, hard at work .
Another illinois resident. luckily my carputer's lcd is mounted low and cannot be seen unless you are standing next to the car looking in the window. The article does not mention "media players", just TVs and DVD players. Anyone got any additional info on this?
Illinois doesn't have a hands free law, Chicago does. As long as your not in the city limits you're okay.
Someone was complaining about not being able to have lights all over their car and tinted windows and other bling. They made a snide comment about their tax money hard at work, when in reality, it's fines against dangerous and distracting things that help keep taxes lower.
I understand there is a point at which there is too much regulation, but frankly I'm glad for laws like this. They help ensure public safety and keep insurance rates lower.
Some people have stated that they do not see anything wrong with this law but surely it make the use of a SatNav system a bit of a grey area?!
Hello! My name is Lucas, but my friends call me neon, because one time, they beat me half to death with those giant glow sticks. That was one savage beating, I was soaked in a mixture of blood and flamboyant yellows and pinks. Anyhow, onto my story.
For years I've always wanted my 1978 Ford F-150 to be pimped out so I could build up my confidence level. You know, get a few ladies, get some street cred, convict a few felonies, and of course, impregnate a 14-year-old high school girl.
Well last week my dreams finally came true! I was chosen to meet Xzibit and to be on MTV's # 1 show "Pimp My Ride". I was SO! Excited! Because Xzibit was my fave rapper, (due to MTV cramming his songs down my throat).
So Xzibit stole my car and took it down to see the boys at West Coast Customs! Boy howdy! My dream was coming true, after 4 years of harassment and vicious glow stick beatings; I would finally get the respect I deserve. After a day of anxiously waiting, I went over to see my new-pimped ride!
My oh my! I loved it. Whenever I looked at it; it screamed 'That's me!' That's me indeed, a flamboyantly gay consumer whore. The nice boys at West Coast Customs gave me the keys to give'er a test drive.
Here’s where it gets a little iffy.
The first few blocks were great, but then I went down a steep hill. It turns out, while the boys at west coast customs drained out my break fluid and replaced it with the dreaded neon liquid. Now, when they told me about this little 'perk' I thought nothing of it at the time. But now, I regret it wholeheartedly. I also had wished they didn't remove my airbags so they could put a disco ball in the back seat, because as it turns out, when I crashed into that bus filled with orphans; the disco ball completely destroyed half of my brain. Not to mention the severe leg, back and neck trauma I received. Turns out, I'll never walk again!
Thanks Pimp My Ride!
Good for them. "My life was ruined when I got hit by a drunk driver." Well, my life was ruined by some guy watching Everybody Loves Raymond. Awesome.
I live in Illinois, and I can't say I'm suprised my this at all. Can't have the windows tinted more than .5% in the front, you can't have neon under the car while it's moving, and some idiot state senator also tried to get spinners outlawed because he saw some car with them at an intersection and thought the car was still moving. Apparently, he almost crashed because of it. The neons? Because some senator's wife saw it on the highway and thought it was a frickin UFO. Illinois politicians aren't the sharpest tools in the shed, as it turns out.
i think its kinda good that this happened but in las vegas two guys were in there car and were watching a movie and they ran over 2 little girls crossing the crosswalk. yeah it was pretty sad
Amen, Darius!
I'm pretty sure it was against the law in the first before then :-I can recall taking food to peoples' cars and seeing their portable dvd players on the seat.
Tsk.
Virginia's law was enacted in 1950 and amended in 1958, 1989, 1994, and 2005:
§ 46.2-1077
A. No motor vehicle registered in the Commonwealth of Virginia shall be equipped with, nor shall there be used therein, a television receiver forward of the driver's seat or the screen of which would otherwise be visible to the driver while driving the vehicle. The operator of a motor vehicle which is not required to be registered in Virginia shall not operate a television receiver which violates the provisions of this section while driving in the Commonwealth.
The prohibitions contained in this subsection shall not, however, include:
1. Electronic displays used in conjunction with vehicle navigation systems;
2. Closed circuit video monitors designed to operate only in conjunction with dedicated video cameras and used in rear-view systems on trucks, motor homes, and other motor vehicles; and
3. Television receivers or monitors used in government-owned vehicles by law-enforcement officers and employees of the Virginia Department of Transportation in the course of their official duties.
B. Except for displays explicitly authorized in subsection A, no driver of any motor vehicle shall view any motion picture or similar video display while driving.
Texas has the law
Indiana has had a similar law for many years. It is illegal for any television screen to be in a place where it is visible by the driver.
i am a mobile installer in chicago. federal law states in i think 38 states it is not illegal to have the monitor but for movies to be viewable while the vehicle is in motion. hence most indash come with a wire that goes to the parking brake so that the parking brake must be active to watch movies the ones with nav will still show turn by turn but not dvd if the parking brake is not on.
Oregon's Law only states devices that can recieve a television broadcast.
815.240 Unlawful use of vehicle television
equipment; penalty. (1) A person
commits the offense of unlawful use of vehicle
television equipment if the person drives
or moves on any highway or owns and causes
or knowingly permits to be driven or moved
on any highway any motor vehicle equipped
with any television viewer, screen or other
means of visually receiving a television
broadcast that is any of the following:
(a) Located in the vehicle at any point
forward of the back of the driver′s seat.
(b) Visible to the driver while operating
the motor vehicle.
(2) The offense described in this section,
unlawful use of vehicle television equipment,
is a Class B traffic violation. [1983 c.338 §494;
1985 c.69 §4]