Texting in School Zone Worries Nearby In-Home Day Care Owner
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Alice Swetland's home at 107 South Line Street in Du Quoin is a window to the fact that local drivers--teenagers and adults alike--largely ignore an Illinois law that went into effect January 1, 2010 that cell phones cannot be used for calling or texting in a marked "School Zone."
The signs are posted on every street within two blocks of the Du Quoin High School. The sign on Line Street is within two houses of Alice's in-home day care center where she cares for a half-dozen children. They routinely take morning and afternoon walks around her home and she worries that distracted drivers are going to cause an accident while she and the children she cares for are out on the nearby sidewalks.
"There are places in Du Quoin that are a "no cell phone usage" area. I happen to live in one since my home is close to the schools. I run a state licensed in-home day care. The sign stating "no cell phone usage" is two houses north of my home. I can sit on my porch with the children during school hours and count the number of people who are on their cell phone while driving past my house."
" Either these drivers are blatantly breaking the law or they just aren't aware that this law exists and pay no attention to the signs. I believe this is an important story that needs to be told before something terrible happens to one of our children. We all know not to text and drive and many people still do it, but to drive while being distracted in any way is dangerous, especially near the schools."
Du Quoin Chief of Police Mike Ward said local police pay particular attention to traffic around the Du Quoin High School and the Du Quoin Middle School all the time, but cell phone use has become the norm. Another issue: Recently the Line Street stop intersection at Franklin and Line was taken down and the action is getting mixed reviews in the neighborhood. Some like the fact that traffic flow is better. Some residents say they have to watch for traffic more. Alice is appealing to drivers to obey the signs. A violation can cost a driver over $100.