![\"IMG_1168\"](\"http:\/\/com.bradley.edu\/newslab\/files\/2015\/05\/IMG_1168.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWith the installation of a new law banning cell phone use and driving, the general sentiment from many people has been one of disapproval.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you need to call someone to ask for directions and you don\u2019t have Bluetooth or something, you\u2019re screwed,\u201d said Emily Sonneborn, a junior at Bradley University.<\/p>\n
Sonneborn is from Minnesota and is unfamiliar with the Peoria area.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of the time, I have someone in the car with me, but I\u2019ve had to pick up friends before, so finding them can be difficult,\u201d said Sonneborn.<\/p>\n
However, despite this general negative attitude toward the new law, other people recognize that it might help lower traffic fatalities<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s unnerving to see those signs on the highway telling you how many deaths on the road have occurred so far this year,\u201d said Sara White, a junior at Bradley who is from Illinois. \u201cIt used to be wearing your seatbelt, and then not drinking and driving. Phone use is just the next thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the United States Census Bureau, traffic fatalities have dropped over 10,000 from 1990 to 2009. As White pointed out, during that time, emphasis has been placed, particularly through school programs, on vehicle safety.<\/p>\n
In Libertyville, Ill. for example, a common summer program kids are enrolled in is called Safety Town. It focuses on staying safe both in the car and on the street while riding one\u2019s bicycle or crossing the street.<\/p>\n
While Illinois is in the top ten for traffic fatalities in 2009, there were fewer than 1,000 deaths in that year, putting them behind Ohio, Pennsylvania and Georgia among others.<\/p>\n
Despite the fact that California has the most traffic fatalities of 2009, their rate was below the average for the whole United States. The state with the highest fatality rate was Montana. The fatality rate in 2009 for Illinois was also below average.<\/p>\n
For drivers, this means that while the added laws, security cameras and police patrols may seem inconvenient, in reality, they\u2019re helping to save lives on the road.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t text and drive anyway,\u201d said White. \u201cI\u2019ve heard stories about how dangerous it can be, and I\u2019d rather just not do it.\u201d<\/p>\n