Illinois is launching a campaign to educate drivers about a ban on driving with hand-held cellphones.

Several state departments have launched a campaign, Drop it and Drive, to raise awareness of the law. The campaign will include the distribution of posters to tollbooths and retail stores and advertisements for television and radio broadcast.

The law, which went into effect Jan. 1, bans the use of hand-held devices while driving. Cellphones and other hand-held may only be used in an emergency, or if the call is coming through a speakerphone, headset or other voice-activated or one-digit dialing system.

“I think it is a step in the right direction for preventing a certain amount of automobile accidents,” said senior communication major Terrence McGill.

About 6,000 crashes occurred in Illinois due to distracted driving caused by cellphone usage between 2008 and 2012, according to Ann Schneider, Department of Transportation secretary, according to a news release.

“The car accident rate is way higher than it should be, so I think with having [the law] it would probably be a lot more safer, but I do think a lot of people are not going to follow it,” said sophomore marketing major Fatima Khan.

Non-compliance of the law may result in a starting fine of $75, and $150 for repeat offenses, according to the Illinois Tollway. Multiple offenses may lead to the suspension of the offender’s license.

Illinois is the 12th state to pass a law banning the use of hand-held devices while driving, according to the Illinois Tollway.

“Distracted driving is a problem in Illinois and across the nation,” said Gov. Pat Quinn, according to the news release.

Illinois already bans hand-held cellphones in Chicago and school zones, and smaller towns have enacted their own cellphone driving laws. The law bans using hand-held cellphones when driving anywhere in Illinois, removing prior confusion about where people could use their cellphones while driving.

“This important campaign will help ensure the message gets through loud and clear — if you use a hand-held device while driving, you will get a ticket,” Quinn said, according to the release.