Multitasking Illinois motorists will want to proceed with caution when resuming work next week, as numerous laws regulating driving behaviors take hold on Wednesday.

Of the more than 200 new state laws going into effect on Jan. 1, several pertain to motorists, including when and how they may use cell phones, just how fast they can travel on certain interstates, and where they can properly dispose of cigarette butts.

Hands-Free Cell Phone Use

For example, drivers will no longer be allowed to talk on handheld cell phones while driving their vehicles. They can, however, use hands-free devices, like Bluetooth headsets, earpieces, and voice-activated command devices when behind the wheel.

It is important to note some exemptions to the ban: Law enforcement officers or first responders may use handheld devices, along with drivers reporting emergencies and by drivers while parked on the shoulder of a roadway. Additionally, a driver may use a handheld cell phone if the car is in neutral or in park, or if the car is stopped because normal traffic is obstructed.

Although multitasking motorists will awake to a new reality next week, it is not beyond the realm of possibilty that some police departments may issue warnings rather than impose fines during the initial transition period. However, in the event of a serious accident in which it can be determined that cell phone use attributed to that accident, a ticket will be issued. Violators of the new law face a maximum fine of $75 for a first offense, $100 for a second offense, $125 for a third offense, and $150 for a fourth or subsequent offense.

In minimizing driving distractions, the state seeks to lower the number of traffic accidents and resultant injuries in the state. Another aim of at least one of the new laws is to prevent smokers from flicking their cigarette butts out of car windows. Under that state law, any person who tosses a cigarette butt out a car window can be ticketed for littering. The Litter Control Act also allows a court to force the offending person to go back to the scene of the illegal littering to pick up the litter he or she left behind.

Another law taking effect alters the legal speed limit on certain interstates in Illinois, from 65 miles per hour to 70 miles per hour.

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