Illinois looks to ban 'Zoom' calls while driving

CHICAGO - During the pandemic, some of us took multitasking to a new level.

Work from home turned into Zoom meetings in the car. Now, the Illinois Secretary of State is proposing legislation that would ban car "Zooming".

"Last year, over three-thousand people died because of distracted drivers. That’s eight people a day dying on our roads and highways," said Secretary Alexi Giannoulias.

"We want to create the same stigma for distracted driving that there is right now for drunk driving," he added.

The legislation would ban video calls while driving, along with streaming videos or scanning social media on your phone.

SUBSCRIBE TO FOX 32 CHICAGO ON YOUTUBE

More than twelve-thousand people were convicted last year of distracted driving. The legislation is being co-sponsored by Chicago area legislators.

Breaking the law would result in a moving violation ticket and a maximum fine of $75 on the first offense, $100 on the second offense, $125 on the third offense, and $150 on the fourth and future offenses.

Three moving violations in a year would result in a license suspension.

Under the new rules, Zoom calls could still be conducted in moving vehicles using a hands-free device with the video turned off.