You are driving in ordinary traffic (not reporting an emergency, not parked on the shoulder, and not stopped in park for obstructed traffic) and switch your handheld cellphone to speaker mode while holding it. Under Illinois law, this action is:
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A.
Permitted when the driver's window is open
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B.
A violation, because the phone is in your hand Correct
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C.
Considered hands-free and fully permitted
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D.
Permitted only for calls to family members
The answer is "A violation, because the phone is in your hand"
Speaker mode doesn't count as hands-free when you're holding the phone. The manual names this specifically as a violation of Illinois law. Drivers who pick C are treating "speaker on" as identical to "hands-free", when Illinois writes the test around whether the phone is in your hand, not where the sound comes out.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Permitted when the driver's window is open
Window position isn't part of the Illinois handheld cellphone rule. This answer grafts an unrelated environmental condition onto the phone rule from the habit of pairing driving rules with vehicle states; Illinois writes this rule around whether the phone is held, and no window setting changes that.
C. Considered hands-free and fully permitted
Speaker mode with the phone in your hand still fails the manual's hands-free test. This answer equates speaker output with hands-free operation, treating audio delivery as the deciding factor instead of where the phone sits.
D. Permitted only for calls to family members
The manual sets no relationship-based carve-out for family calls. This answer imports a personal-contact exception from everyday phone habits; Illinois lists only three non-hands-free carve-outs (emergency, parked on shoulder, stopped in park for obstructed traffic), and none turn on who is being called.
This question tests your knowledge of Distracted Driving in Illinois. Source: Illinois Rules of the Road, "Distracted Driving," p.22..
Related Illinois questions
- For whom does Illinois permit hands-free devices or Bluetooth technology while driving? →
- Illinois law prohibits which of the following while operating a motor vehicle? →
- When does Illinois allow you to use a cellphone that is not hands-free while behind the wheel? →
- Which cellphone activity does Illinois law specifically prohibit while driving? →
- What does Illinois law say about wearing a headset while driving a car? →
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