(WSIL) -- Two new traffic laws went into effect in Illinois Wednesday.
The first amends the Illinois Vehicle Code to establish a 12-month license suspension and minimum fine of $1,000 for a driver who causes "great bodily harm, permanent disability or disfigurement to another person" while texting and driving.
The second law, also called Mason's Law, creates stricter penalties for drivers who fail to yield at crosswalks or in school zones and injure someone.
Driving privileges can be suspended for 12 months.
"Any time that you drive down the road in a normal vehicle it's common to see people with their phones, with their electronic devices, instead of what's going on around them. So this might be something that helps bring attention to the problem," said Williamson County Deputy Brian Murrah.
Deputy Murrah also wants to remind drivers to be careful of high waters during this rainy week and not to drive into flooded areas.
