The Chicago
Tribune reported this Fall that the Naperville police are targeting
drivers using their cell phones in school zones. The program is based on the
enforcement of an Illinois statute that went into effect back in 2010 which prohibits any driver,
regardless of age, from using a wireless telephone on a roadway in a school
speed zone or in a construction or maintenance speed zone. Exceptions are made
for “hands free” or Bluetooth phones.
The
program initiated by Naperville police titled “cell phones in school
zones,” has elicited the help from volunteers to help spread the
word. Naperville authorities say the new initiative is aimed at reducing
the frequency and severity of traffic collisions, and to gain compliance of all
traffic laws including those directly impacting the safety of children in
school zones.
“We like voluntary compliance, and we’d prefer to cite no
one,” said Sgt. Lee Martin of the Naperville Police Department’s traffic
unit. “We hope everyone receives the message through the educational
campaign, to be aware of their surroundings and what they’re doing.”
The city also will place message boards on roadway easements near Scott
Elementary reminding drivers not to use hand-held phones in school
zones. Martin said another school will be targeted next spring and the
program will then continue “as long as we keep getting positive
results.”
Remember that texting and driving is never safe, but also
remember that if you use your phone at all (including phone calls) in a school zone, you can be
ticketed by police.
If you or someone you love has been involved in a Chicago caraccident or Chicago truck accident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney
Aaron Bryant for a free consultation at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website
at www.blgchicago.com.